Miller 1

Aliya Miller

Phillips

English 3

8 May 2016

Syrian Refugee children's access to higher education

Over the past few years, the civil war in syria has been negatively affecting the chances of

young women and children getting a higher education, this is due to government restrictions in

syria and the war causing families to migrate to surrounding countries such as turkey. So how

and where are syrian children going to receive their education? Most of the active public

schools are in the neighboring country of Turkey. Rabia Hos reports that the very beginning of

several civil war uprisings in countries such as Lebanon, Yemen Egypt and Syria began in the

year 2010. More than twenty five percent of students that were surveyed have had to flee their

homes and many of them have seen the impact of fighting and airstrikes according to

Educational Journal. The war activities and attacks on ground in Syria essentially make it

impossible to put in place good schools.

Schools that are willing to support syrian refugee students are relying on funding to impart a

good curriculum.The education cannot wait fund is allocating fifteen million dollars to

children's education inside syria(Newsstand). Education is one of the most pronounced needs

of displaced refugee children, and funding is crucial in getting money for education in war torn

regions. According to General Onefile no funding is equivalent to no policy changes to support

refugee children. Turkey is one of the only countries receiving enough money to make

important policy changes to support the needs of a specific group of students. According to
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Rabia Hos, Turkey is one of the leading hosts of syrian refugees, the country as a whole has

made lots of changes to accommodate syrians. Having assumed that the majority of the refugee

children do not have access to school supplies, cannot afford lunch or textbooks, this is also a

cost for expenses needed to be included into funding.

Enrollment rates have decreased. Marsha Guasp Teschendorff states that the enrollment rates

in syrian schools have decreased substantially for both boys and girls. Young boys are being

sought out to join syrian armed groups. This has been going on since the civil war began.Young

women being educated in third world countries such as syria is looked down upon , but not

unheard of. More and more young refugee girls are seeking a higher education. However, it is

extremely hard for girls to go to these schools without a strong family backing and support from

higher places.

Having the syrian curriculum in schools is very important in letting syrian kids learning in

their native language. When students in a study were taught the syrian curriculum over a length

of weeks , it made the students want to learn more. However the study also showed that there

wasn't any significant social and emotional support for students. (Rabia Hos) Students should be

able to be comfortable in the classroom setting they are in.

One of the opposing arguments of syrian refugee children receiving education is that their

life after they graduate is tough and they will be put into a world filled with horror.The latest

attacks on a school compound in western province of Libib that left 20 students and teachers

dead according to Infotrac Newsstand. They might not be prepared enough especially if the

war is continuing which will most likely be the case. Without a curriculum that integrates some

survival skills and vocational training, some students completing their schooling at a temporary
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school may be at risk in succeeding in life (Rabia Hos). Some refugee students have no homes

and if they do have a home they are living in scary and rough conditions.(Hos)

Syria hopes one day to have more effective school system available for children to get a

good education. The current school system in syria isn't as standardized as it could be. Syria

tries to copy the same educational setting as Turkey in some areas/fields of education. However

they have not been really successful at doing that. As said before Syria does not have good

policies put in place for education due to the major costs of war. Most of the teachers teaching

in the schools in Turkey are well educated and have up to a bachelor's degree in their education

according to Rabia Hos. Teachers try to treat all of the students the same no matter where they

come from or their backgrounds.

Over the years, the syrian war has brainwashed young children. They grow up meditating

that this is their natural way of life and they become accustomed to it. This particular thought

however is not the case at all. Children need to know that there is a way out of their predicament

and that is through higher education. Because of the set dictatorship of Bashar Al-Assad who

has been in power since the year 2000, (Wikipedia) it proves evident that a lot of things are

restricted when it comes to not only the education system but daily life overall.

Education is a universal language even in times of war. Education provides stability through

hardships, the unity of all people, and problem solving when hardships occur. It is important

that children at an early age get an education that will aid them in the long run. Some children

in Syria have never been inside a classroom while others lost up to four years of their

schooling (Hos) The civil war inside syria has caused the parents of children to fear for their

children's future. Children that were being educated prior to the war were essentially shocked by
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all educational changes that were done to their country, their parents were as well. Prior to the

war syria had a fairly decent educational system, but there were still issues occurring in it like

any other government and school system. Since syria is considered a third world country, as a

whole there are so many underlying issues that exist that only make the idea of better education

hopeless. The economy isn't doing well at all and the country is under a dictatorship.

Some refugees that want to go to better schools outside of their country must acquire

residents permits during the duration of their schooling. Those who do not have residence

permits are still able to attend schools as registered guests but are not able to receive a diploma.

(Hos) Are permits like these absolutely necessary? Turkey and lebanon both require this

certification. Being a refugee does not make them less of a human being. What countries like

turkey are doing are very admirable, however one cannot help but to also see that they too are

somewhat nervous about helping further the education of refugee children.

The syrian crisis doesn't necessarily need to end for children to get a good education.

In surrounding countries of Syria, over the next months there is expected to be a great rise in the

building of schools. Even with the decline of Enrollment rates which is to expected with the

civil war, children still dream of going into a classroom and receiving formal education. With all

the funding coming from warm hearted charities and people willing to put their lives on the line

to teach disadvantaged children, the future for syrian refugee children appears as a bright one.

Works Cited
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Hos , Rabia. European Journal of Educational Research ISSN: 2165-8714. Education in

Emergencies: Case of a Community School for Syrian Refugees, Rabia Hos , 2016.

Accessed 25 Apr. 2017

"In war-torn Syria, funding for education is the only hope for out-of-school children." M2

Presswire, 4 Feb. 2016. General OneFile, Accessed 27 April 2017.

Jazeera, Al. "Syria's Civil War Explained from the Beginning." News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera,

17 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017

OurWorld20. "Loss of Access to Education Puts Well-being of Syrian Girls at Risk." Our World.

Marta Guasp Teschendorff, 17 Sept. 15. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

President of Syria. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Syria. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

"Syria: UN education envoy urges International Criminal Court probe into Idlib school attack."

US Official News, 27 Oct. 2016. Infotrac Newsstand, 27 April 2017.

"UNRWA PARTICIPATES IN THE WHOLE OF SYRIA (WOS) EDUCATION PLANNING

MEETING." States News Service, 4 May 2016. General OneFile, 27 April 2017