International protection applicants and their family members shall have access to elementary and secondary education services in Türkiye.[1]
Türkiye has been a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1995. The right to education is also recognised by Article 42 of the Turkish Constitution, which provides that “no one shall be deprived of the right of learning and education”. Türkiye’s Law on Primary Education and Training provides that primary education is compulsory for all girls and boys between the ages of 6-13 and must be available free of charge in public schools.[2] Currently, the 8-year compulsory primary education is divided into two stages of four years each. Parents or guardians are responsible for registering school-age children to schools on time. Furthermore, the Basic Law on National Education also explicitly guarantees non-discrimination in extension of education services to children, “regardless of language, race, gender, religion”.[3]
For a parent to be able to register their child to a public school, the family must already have International Protection Applicant Identification Cards, which also list the Foreigners Identification Number (YKN) assigned by the General Directorate of Population Affairs to each family member. This YKN registry is a prerequisite for school authorities to be able to process the child’s registration.[4] However, the Ministry of National Education instructs public schools to facilitate the child’s access to school even where the family has not yet completed their international protection registration process at the PDMM. Children need to attend school in the “satellite city” to which the family has been assigned (see Freedom of Movement).
Children whose families’ applications for international protection have been denied, and who are subject to deportation orders, are unable to access education. Even when they are in the midst of legal appeals, educational injunctions are not enforced because they lack a legal stay permit or their residential address is not registered.[5] Children cannot technically register again after the family’s application is denied because when a foreigner’s ID number is entered into the electronic system, it indicates that they are not registered. According to the law, the right to education and basic health services should be excluded from this suspension. Practices differ significantly from one province to another. In the past, these children and the children whose family have not completed their applications yet could attend school as “guest students,” but now, in some cities, they are being refused for enrolment, there is a tendency not to enrol these children in schools to encourage families to register with authorities[6]. The children who have been enrolled for a long time are not usually expelled from school if the family’s application is rejected.[7]
Where the child has previous educational experiences prior to arrival to Türkiye, they will undergo an equivalence assessment by Provincial Education Directorate to determine what grade would be appropriate for them to enrol. Particularly in cases where the family does not have any documents demonstrating the child’s previous schooling, the equivalence determination may prove complicated. Sometimes, children are placed in classes appropriate to their ages rather than their levels and therefore they might face difficulty to catch up lessons[8].
As part of the Cohesion Strategy and National Plan, which foresees key issues to be addressed by PMM, education is listed as one of the six focus areas.
Priorities for education include:
- Research why some migrant children miss school or stop attending;
- Improving the continuity of schooling including in formal education;
- Supporting access to higher education;
- Creating more informal programmes of education in line with the needs of migrants.
Plans include:
- A review of the legislative base;
- Increase in capacity of formal education institutions;
- Information activities;
- Training for teachers including on psychological needs of children who may have undergone trauma;
- GEM transition to schools;
- Resources and assistance in libraries;
- Language skills and other courses to fill gaps;
- Post-school study and peer education including with Turkish classmates;
- Awareness raising with families of migrant children;
- Promoting access to pre-school education;
- Assistance for those with breaks in education;
- More higher education opportunities;
- Intercultural programmes at universities;
- Turkish language curriculum for different ages and levels of education;
- Non-formal education opportunities including in libraries, community and municipal centres etc;
- Mobile libraries in temporary accommodation centres;
- Vocational courses.
Regarding asylum-seeking children with special needs, the Ministry of National Education instructs that where a foreign student is identified to be in need of special education, necessary measure shall be taken in accordance with the Regulation on Special Education Services, which governs the provision of education services to children with physical and mental disabilities.
Children with disabilities, particularly after the earthquake, face significant challenges in accessing special education. These challenges include limited access to services, fees that refugee children with disabilities must pay for education, lack of involvement in decision-making and policy implementation, and insufficient targeted programming, especially in the earthquake-affected areas[9].
In Türkiye, there were 68,760 Iraqi, 47,118 Afghan, 12,666 Iranian, 7,938 Azerbaijani, and 2,663 German students enrolled in public schools as of March 2022.[10] As of January 1, 2023, 1,006,821 (76.44%) of the entire foreign population of school age have been included in the education system. Of these students, 973,326 are registered in the e-school system, 14,278 are enrolled in distance education, and 19,217 are registered in the Vocational Education Center System (MESEM)[11]. Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin stated that 163,073 Syrian and 7,197 Afghan national students newly enrolled in 2023. According to Tekin’s statements, there are 64,232 foreign students in kindergarten, 432,754 in primary school, 349,111 in middle school, and 152,470 in high school, making a total of 998,567 foreign students receiving education in Türkiye[12].
3 out of 10 school-age foreign students do not go to school at all, the attendance rate is decreasing dramatically for the children in highschool, especially in the 11th and 12th grades[13]. Although the number of children in the 11th and 12th grades is 163,922, the number of children attending school is only 39,168. No official data provides detailed information regarding the status of foreign students who are in the Turkish education system in 2023.
The main reasons why children with international protection applications remain out of schools are (1) economic hardships, which often lead to increased child labor and early marriage cases, (2) peer bullying, (3) being registered in a different province than where they live, (4) discrimination by school administration, teachers, and parents, and (5) insufficient school capacities[14].There are schools where separate classes are created for migrant children.[15] Although public schools are free, auxiliary costs such as notebooks, stationary and school uniforms, and transportation cost present a financial burden on parents.
According to information gathered from stakeholders, approximately 80% of Ukrainian children attend education in Türkiye. Particularly Ukrainian families view this as an opportunity for their children to acquire a new culture. No significant peer discrimination against Ukrainian students in schools was reported. The school administrations were generally very accommodating. A school in Gölbaşı, Ankara, for instance, assisted numerous Ukrainian families with school registration procedures. To facilitate the social cohesion of Ukrainian families and children, the Ukrainian Culture Association and Cankaya Municipality offered Turkish classes. For children, there were courses in physics, the natural sciences, wellness, etc. There were fewer problems among elementary school students, but families wanted their children going to secondary school to follow the Ukrainian curriculum online.[16] The “Back to School Project”, implemented by ASAM, supports unaccompanied Ukrainian children in Antalya to ensure their access to the Distance Education System in Ukraine with allocating the computer labs[17]. In addition, psychosocial and language support are provided to Ukrainian children in Antalya.[18] Meskhitan Turks residing in container camps in Elazığ have nurseries and elementary schools in the camp and high school students have access to outside education.
Since the language of education is Turkish, language barriers present a practical obstacle for asylum seeker children. There is no nationwide provision of preparatory or catch-up classes for asylum-seeking children who start their education in Türkiye or who did not attend school for some time due to various reasons. In practice, unaccompanied children who are accommodated in state shelters are offered Turkish language classes provided in the shelters before they are enrolled in schools. For other asylum-seeking children, while in theory, they have access to Turkish classes provided by public education centres or the municipalities in their assigned province, in practice such language classes attuned for them are not universally available around Türkiye.
Language remains a major barrier to access to services, employment, and social cohesion, with only an estimated 15% of people under international and temporary protection speaking Turkish fluently. Adult refugee women are considerably less likely to speak Turkish or have gotten any formal education than men.[19] Free Turkish courses are provided by Public Education Centres. 37,560 (13,623 male, 23,937 female) foreign nationals accessed to Turkish language courses in 2023[20]. 14,983 migrants benefitted from Turkish language courses provided by Turkish Red Crescent Community Centres.[21] Anadolu University and Yunus Emre Institute (through its “Distance Turkish Learning Portal”) provides free, online Turkish language courses from beginner level (A1) to more advanced levels (C2/C1). In addition to them, some municipalities[22] and NGOs provides language courses.
Nor does the Turkish educational system offer adaptation or catch-up classes to foreign children whose previous education was based on a different curriculum. However, community centres operated by Türk Kızılay across the country also offer Turkish language classes and other services to applicants (see Content of Temporary Protection). A number of NGOs launched initiatives to improve online access to language courses. The ‘Let’s speak the same language’ project is a free online Turkish language course offered to low-income young people with a strong desire to acquire Turkish.[23] In Istanbul, some Iraqis do not send their children to Turkish schools, but rather to Iraqi schools that are not monitored by the Ministry of National Education in the event that the family relocates to a third country. In Istanbul, only one school of this type exists.[24]
One facet of increasing access to education has been the creation of vocational and technical training possibilities. With the support of ECHO, the Ministry of National Education initiated a project titled ‘Social and Economic Cohesion via Vocational and Technical Education’ in 2022. The project’s goals are to provide high quality, accessible vocational education for youth, to improve the educational environment, to provide supports that encourage students to continue their study, and to promote awareness about the opportunities that vocational education provides.[25] ASAM implements a project with the support of LEGO Foundation targeting preschool age refugee children to identify the needs of refugee children with special needs, to improve well being of children with using play therapy[26]. Additionally, TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) Çocuk, which is a TV channel for children, has initiated plans to produce a cartoon episode/promotional film to introduce educational services for foreigner children[27].It is important to note that NGOs’ child protection programmes provide several services for children such as support mechanisms for children who are out of school or at risk of being out of school, legal support, development of life skills, inclusion-based activities such as conversation clubs to improve language skill, and homework support[28].
International protection applicants or status holders wishing to study at Turkish universities must take the university enterance exam (International Student Admission Exam), and meet specific criteria including holding a valid Foreigner Identification Number and completing the 12th grade. Detailed information on programs, admission requirements and fees can be found on respective university websites. Students may transfer credits from previous studies, subject to university approval. A new regulation was introduced in 2022 whereby foreign students have to pay a contribution fee for higher education, including Syrian students and blue cardholders.[29] In 2023, like previous years, Turkish universities organised specific exams for foreign students and announced location of exam and the fees. Exam fees vary depending on the university and exam center chosen, generally range from 150 TL to 2000 TL.
Several scholarship opportunities are available, including the DAFI scholarship from UNHCR, which covers expenses such as accommodation, food, and tuition, and the Higher Education Cash Grant (HECG) for enrolled students with a minimum GPA of 1.5[30]. Additionally, the ICMPD’s EU Scholarships and YTB’s Türkiye Scholarships offer financial support based on various criteria, including academic performance and location[31]. UNHCR’s financial assitance for ex-minors is particularly based on the continution to education including language couses, vocational or skill courses[32]. In 2023, PMM and Council of Higher Education signed a cooperation protocol to ease the bureaucracy of obtaining the student residence permits for foreign university students[33].
The Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) runs several vocational courses[34]. Vocational courses are offered by public education centres withmore than 31 thousand foreign nationals benefitted from these courses as of January 2023. The main barrier to access vocational eductaion is lack of language proficiency. Finally, there are civil society organisations that provide free skills training, hobby, and vocational courses under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education[35].
[1] Article 89(1) LFIP.
[2] Law No 222 on Primary Education and Training.
[3] Law No 1738 Basic Law on National Education.
[4] The specifics of the registration procedure are governed by a 23 September 2014 dated Ministry of National Education Circular No: 2014/21 regarding the Provision of Education and Training Services to Foreign Nationals.
[5] Information shared by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[6] Information shared by a stakeholder, March 2024.
[7] Information shared by a stakeholder, 2023.
[8] Information shared by a stakeholder, March 2024.
[9] Ortak 3RP Koruma Sektörü Çalıştay Raporu, August 2023, available here.
[10] DW, ‘MEB raporu: Suriyeli çocukların yüzde 35’i okula gidemiyor’, 30 March 2022, available here.
[11] Hayat Boyu Öğrenme Genel Müdürlüğü 2023 Yili Birim Faaliyet Raporu, available here.
[12] T24, 23 November 2023, Bakan Tekin, Türkiye’deki yabancı uyruklu öğrenci sayısını açıkladı Bakan Tekin, Türkiye’deki yabancı uyruklu öğrenci sayısını açıkladı, available here.
[13] Birgun, 21.10.2023, 455 bin yabancı çocuk okula gidemiyor, available here.
[14] Information provided by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[15] Information provided by a stakeholder, May 2023.
[16] Information provided by a stakeholder, March 2023.
[17] ASAM, Okula dönüş projesi, availble here
[18] Directorate of Communication, 20.06.2023, Turkey has become a safe haven for Ukrainian children who are victims of war (iletisim.gov.tr).
[19] Inter-Agency Coordination Türkiye, IAPNA 6, January 2023, available here.
[20] Hayat Boyu Öğrenme Genel Müdürlüğü 2023 Yili Birim Faaliyet Raporu, available here.
[21] TÜRK KIZILAY, SOSYOEKONOMİK GÜÇLENDİRME PROGRAMI, availble here.
[22] Gaziantep Belediyesi, available here.
[23] STGM, ‘Aynı Dili Konuşalım Projesi Ücretsiz Online Türkçe Kursları Başlıyor’, 31 August 2022, available in Turkish here.
[24] Information provided by a stakeholder, April 2023.
[25] SEUP, ‘Faydali Dokümanlar’, last accessed on 13 July 2023, available in Turkish here.
[27] Hayat Boyu Öğrenme Genel Müdürlüğü 2023 Yili Birim Faaliyet Raporu, available here.
[28] Information share by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[29] For example, Pamukkale University, ‘Students of Syrian nationality and Blue Card holders, who have just started our university in the 2021-2022 Academic Year, will pay tuition fees’, available in Turkish here.
[30] UNHCR, ‘Admission to University’, last accessed on 14 July 2024, available here.
[31] EU Scholarhips, last accessed on 14 June 2024, available here.
[32] Information provided by a stakeholder, June 2024.
[33] Başkanlığımız ile YÖK Arasında Uluslararası Öğrencilerin İkamet İzinlerine İlişkin İşbirliği Protokolü İmzalandı (15 November 2023), available here.
[34] İŞKUR, last accessed on 14 June 2024, available here.
[35] Education: Information portal for refugees in Turkey, last accessed on 14 June 2024, available here.