Educational Needs Assessment for Urban Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Since the civil war in Syria started in 2011, over 1,100,000 Syrians have streamed across Turkey’s borders. Only about 220,000 of these refugees live in refugee camps. The majority of Syrians in Turkey (about 80 percent) live outside of refugee camps, without access to systematic services. A report released by AFAD indicates that there are large disparities in access to basic necessities between Syrians living inside and outside of camps, none more striking than those differences regarding access to basic education. Currently, about 80 percent of school age (ages 6-17 years) Syrians are attending school in camps, while only 27 percent of their peers in host communities are attending. Further, according to UNHCR, 75 percent of the Syrian refugee population is women and children. In Turkey, it is estimated that about 22 percent of Syrian heads of household outside of camps are women, although this number could be much higher.
Because of the importance of access to education in emergencies, the large percentage of the Syrian population living outside of camps in Turkey, the low school attendance rate among the non-camp school-age population, and the large percentage of women comprising the Syrian population, this assessment will focus on the educational needs of Syrian children and adults, including a special emphasis on the needs of women and girls.