The processes of integration and education: the case of Syrian refugees and Syrian refugee children in Turkey

Abstract

The Syrian migration is the second-largest mass movement of people in the world’s history that causes almost half of the Syrian population to be displaced since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in March 2011; half of the population affected by the Syrian conflict are children. Syrian children still face many barriers to attending schools in Turkey. Among 2.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, 835.000 of them are of school age, and 463.000 attend public schools and Syrian Temporary Education Centres (TECs). This chapter focuses on the state of Syrian refugee children in accessing education in Turkey, one that - I argue - both determines and is determined by the level of integration of the Syrian refugee community. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Istanbul and the border cities including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Hatay, Kilis and Mardin, this chapter aims to contribute to the literature on integration of refugees by exploring the effects of Turkey’s integration policy on the lives of Syrian refugees and Syrian refugee children. It further discusses what needs to be done and how the integration of refugees and their children should be achieved in Turkey.