ISTANBUL — According to UN statistics, more than 4 million Syrians are in need of education inside and outside their country. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees reports that some 3 million Syrians have fled their homes to seek safety in Turkey. With that, Turkey has become the neighboring country with the most Syrians fleeing the 5-year-old civil war. Children and youths under the age of 18 constitute half of the Syrian refugees in Turkey. As a result, the education issue has become a key priority there.
Several schools have been established in Istanbul and Gaziantep to help refugee children address the language barrier impeding integration into Turkish society. Some of these schools are funded by the Turkish government, while others were established through personal initiatives and funding.
