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The European Commission has adopted two financing decisions to support the education of refugees in Turkey and ensure their access to higher education as well as for migration and border protection.
The funding amounting to 560 million Euro, according to a statement by the European Union (EU), is to be given as part of an additional 3 billion Euro announced by the European Commission in June 2021 to continue EU assistance to refugees in Turkey for the period of 2021-2023.
On the occasion of the adoption of the two measures, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi has stated:
"This new funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey shows that the European Union continues to deliver on its commitments. It will ensure that hundreds of thousands of refugee children can continue going to school and receiving quality education, which is key to secure future job perspectives and in view of the overall socio-economic recovery."
How will the funding be used?
The European Commission has announced that the first measure, worth 530 million Euro, will "support quality inclusive education of refugees in Turkey and access to higher education, notably through scholarships":
- The project on Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into Turkish Education System (PIKTES), which started in 2016 and provides essential support to the integration of refugee children into the Turkish education system. The project provides for teacher salaries, transportation costs, education equipment and supplies, provides catch-up and back-up classes to students, Turkish language training, teachers' trainings, school guidance and counselling programme, early childhood education while promoting social cohesion in a fully integrated way. To date, there have been two PIKTES projects. The third phase would start in October 2022.
- The Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) project, which started in 2016 under the humanitarian envelope of the Facility. The fourth generation of this critical support will ensure the continuity of the provision of incentives for the schooling of some 695.000 refugee children through cash transfers, and will focus on outreach as well.
- The third component (BEUrs) supports refugees' access to higher education including via scholarships and related support services, to ensure that they have the necessary skills to secure better employment opportunities.
The second financing decision will reportedly provide for 30 million Euro "in support to help tackle migration and border challenges".
9 billion Euro in total
As part of the "refugee deal" signed between the EU and Turkey on March 18, 2016, the EU undertook that it would provide Turkey with a total funding of 6 billion Euro and payments were completed.
In June 2021, the European Commission unveiled an additional fund of 3 billion Euro, which would cover the 2021-2023 period.
The refugee deal foresees that the refugees who cross into Greece "illegally" will be sent back to Turkey and the Syrians who live in Turkey and are in need of protection will be sent to EU countries in return.
A previous 325 million Euro in humanitarian assistance as part of the additional 3 billion Euro package was announced in December.
How many refugees?
According to the EU figures, Turkey has been hosting around 4 million refugees. This includes 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees and 370,000 registered refugees from other countries. (TP/SD)
