Education

Access to education is vital for displaced communities.  It promotes social cohesion, provides access to life-saving information, addressed psychosocial needs and offers a stable and safe environment.. It also helps people rebuild their communities and pursue productive, meaningful lives.In addition, education equips displaced individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate challenges, adapt to new environments, and contribute to sustainable development.

In Türkiye, national legislation guarantees the right of all children to access education, including children whose families have sought temporary and international protection. UNHCR works with its partners to ensure that refugees are aware of their rights and receive assistance  to enroll their children. As proficiency in Turkish is essential for academic success, UNHCR works closely with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) to ensure that children receive additional assistance in learning Turkish. MoNE and all education stakeholders provide support to create inclusive learning environments that address the unique challenges refugee children may face.

UNHCR’s education strategy promotes access of refugees to a wide range of educational opportunities, ranging from formal education to higher education as well as non-formal education opportunities for adults to learn Turkish and new skills. A core element of this strategy is to promote the effective inclusion of refugees in the national education system, taking into consideration both the national policy context and the work of all stakeholders in the education sector. In Türkiye, a substantial part of UNHCR’s education programming focuses on persons over 18 years of age, requiring effective linkages with livelihoods programming and the promotion of smooth transitions from learning to work. Furthermore, the education strategy also aims to foster social cohesion by promoting inclusive educational environments that bring together both host and refugee communities.

UNHCR works in coordination with the Higher Education Council (YÖK) and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) to facilitate access to higher education for refugee youth . Refugee students are also awarded scholarships to study at Turkish universities through UNHCR’s support. Türkiye hosts the second largest DAFI programme (UNHCR’s worldwide scholarship programme). As refugees are expected to pay foreign student fees at universities, UNHCR supports refugee students who have been accepted into degree programmes or who are currently enrolled in university programmes with cash grants. In addition to the DAFI scholarship, UNHCR Türkiye offers semester-based cash grants to refugees studying at Turkish state universities, helping to cover their university tuition fees.

The ability to communicate effectively with others in the communities in which people live significantly contributes to refugee protection - enabling people to live with dignity, have access to services and to interact socially with those around them. For this reason, UNHCR works with the Ministry of National Education to expand the provision of free language classes offered to adults through its network of Public Education Centres. Adults are also able to attend skills training courses offered by these centres to prepare them for the labour market. To contribute to the Ministry of National Education’s efforts to deliver quality non-formal education to youth and adults, UNHCR also provides support to Public Education Centres to serve refugees and host communities more effectively.

UNHCR also supports UNICEF with regards to the coordination of the education sector within the framework of the 3RP by leading the higher education sub-working group and by working with relevant partners to promote alignment of activities around common strategic objectives. In 2019, the Global Refugee Forum witnessed strong engagement from Türkiye’s education sector. Pledges from Türkiye following the Forum included increased education services and vocational training, the construction of schools, as well as conditional cash transfer for education in specific cases.