Photo: Anna Pantelia / Save the Children

May 2022, Istanbul – Research conducted by Save the Children and Hacettepe University on why refugee children in Türkiye do not go to school, showed that payments some schools ask for enrolling refugee children, peer bullying and language are the main barriers to access to school.

Türkiye is host to the largest number of refugees in the world with 3.7 million Syrians under temporary protection. There are over one million school-aged refugee children in Türkiye, and over 35 percent of them are out of school. Poverty, limited access to basic services, peer bullying and lack of social cohesion are among the major factors contributing to school drop-out rates.

To fill this gap, the Save the Children Türkiye Country Office, in collaboration with Esenyurt Municipality, initiated the “Community-based Child Protection systems strengthening in Esenyurt” project, funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid since July 2020. The project aims to reduce the child protection risks faced by refugee children and parents located in Esenyurt, the largest district of Istanbul.

As part of the project, Save the Children Türkiye Country Office and Hacettepe University carried out a research to understand barriers, challenges, and opportunities faced by refugee children who are out of school and/or at risk of dropping out in Esenyurt.

The report reveals there are various factors keeping refugee children away from school: financial reasons, school climate, obstacles and difficulties associated with families and the education system are among the spearheads.

Families who cannot afford the requested payments by the schools for enrolment often fail to register their kids. Although schools are not supposed to request payments for enrolment, parents/caregivers mentioned that they face such requests in focus discussion groups.

The school climate in which refugee children face peer bullying is another challenge underlined in the report. Receiving constant negative attitude and behaviour from their peers combined with the lack of communication and understanding with teachers alienate children further from school.

Another challenge the refugee children face is the existing Turkish language barrier, with some refugee children having difficulties understanding the course content or even their teachers. With further support on language learning though, it is noted that this barrier can be easily overcome.

Despite these difficulties, 80 percent of the children who joined the survey still find meaning in going to school and do not think of dropping out.

As a major area of action to reduce the school drop-outs, the report calls for an integrated collaboration among the Ministry of National Education, INGOs/NGOs, UN Agencies, donors  and teachers, providing financial support and an inclusive school environment for existing education and protection activities.

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About EU Humanitarian Aid

The European Union and its Member States are the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by disasters and crises. Through the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

MEDIA CONTACT:

AYLİN ALPAGUT

Advocacy and Communications Coordinator

aylin.alpagut@savethechildren.org