Report on Education for Refugee Children Living Outside of Refugee

Camps in Turkey
Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning

An Interdisciplinary Review
Jacob Arkin, Izaak Lofgren, Kevin Ramani
 Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Report

Introduction to Educational Situation for Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Barriers to Education: Public Health

Solution to Educational Barriers: Account of Vocational Studies

Solution to Educational Barriers: Utilizing Online Resources

Conclusion

Annotated Bibliography
Executive Summary:
The ongoing conflict in Syria has forced many out of their homes since 2011, and a large
number have fled to neighboring countries in order to find a refuge. Many have ended up in
Turkey, and in order to house and provide for refugees they have set up many refugee camps.
However, still about 80% of refugees do not live in refugee camps; they live in the cities or the
local towns, and therefore do not have the same protections and guarantees as those who do
live in the camps. We plan to provide our thorough research of the issue and our proposed next
steps towards our solution to the NGO that hired us, Save the Children, and to the Syrian
refugee families to assure them of the promising days ahead of us. Save the Children is an
international NGO focused on providing relief and support for children in developing nations,
and they have a large presence in Turkey assisting the refugees who live there. Our consulting
organization, the Educational Consulting Group (ECG), is attempting to alleviate some of the
barriers to education through alternative educational methods and improved communication.
We hope to focus our attention on Quality Education, which is a Sustainable Development Goal
as laid out by the United Nations. As alternatives to traditional education, we suggest utilizing
vocational studies and online resources, and describe the interconnectedness of health and
education and how improving one helps the other.

Introduction:
Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, refugees have been fleeing into bordering
countries where they are more safe. Turkey has been fairly welcoming to Syrian refugees; just
under three million of them have found haven inside Turkeys borders, as reported by Turkish
officials, but only about 20% of them live inside the refugee camps. Of the remaining 80% living
in Turkish cities and towns, one of the main barriers is the lack of access to education. Of those
remaining, only about 60% of those school aged kids (ages 6 to 17) are attending school
(Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, 2016-2017). By cutting public health costs for families,
implementing a field of vocational education, and expanding online educational resources, we
plan to increase the attendance rate of the school aged Syrian kids living outside of the refugee
camps. These refugees face a number of challenges including the language difference
between Turkey and Syria, and the struggles of life in refugee camps, but we will face them
using our alternatives.

Public Health:
Education and health are unsurprisingly intertwined, and a lack education affects health just as
much as the opposite is true. In a study examining the health outcomes of citizens of the
country of South Africa, Ward and Viner write: Children who are educated go on to live longer,
healthier lives as adults, with less morbidity and disability, with particular benefits seen in young
women (Ward and Viner, 2016). Providing children with quality education provides benefits
beyond the economic sector, and beyond gaining valuable knowledge. Education is not only an
indicator of good health, there is also evidence of causal pathways of increasing education
leading to better health (Ward and Viner, 2016). The authors of this study gathered their data
from South Africa, and the situation in Turkey provides a similar scenario. The study focused on
the relationship between health and education secondary education in South Africa. In Turkey,
refugees are not required to attend secondary school, however the government is required to
provide access to it (When I Picture My Future, I See Nothing, 2015). This is the link, the lack
of compulsory secondary education in addition to the barriers to education that already exist
prevent refugee children from benefiting from the relationship between health and education in a
similar way the children in South Africa. And this relationship not only exists for the less
fortunate in society, it exists for everyone. According to Cutler and LLeras-Muney, Education
not only predicts mortality in the US, it is also a large predictor of health in most countries,
regardless of their level of development (Cutler and LLeras-Muney, 2012). This beneficial
relationship is utilized all around the world, regardless of socioeconomic status, and not only
does better health lead to more children in school, but vice versa.

According to a report by the NGO Human Rights Watch, many Syrian refugees living in local
cities or towns in Turkey have many barriers to providing education to their children. One of
those barriers is access to affordable healthcare (When I Picture My Future, I See Nothing,
2015). In a chain reaction, medical expenses, of which refugees often have many, can build up,
costing families a lot of money. Subsequently, children need to work to pay for things like family
medical expenses, preventing these children from attending school. Although the government
currently provides free healthcare to all registered refugees, this problem comes down to a
communication issue (When I Picture My Future, I See Nothing, 2015). The answer to this
problem is that the government needs to find a way to inform more refugees that if they register
with the state, they will receive free health care, in addition to many other benefits. This will
allow many more children to avoid being forced into early labor, and be able to attend school.

Vocational Studies:
Vocational education is designed to teach students practical and technical skills required for
completing tasks for specific occupations. VET (vocational education and training) will provide
refugees very practical training for specific jobs and kids will be able to determine first hand
which occupations they would like to pursue post graduation. We plan to implement a field of
vocational studies for the Syrian children to vastly increase the capacity of schooling outside of
camps and improve their chances of choosing the right career path. Understanding that only
more Syrian refugees will enter Turkish borders as the Civil War continues, our challenge is
expanding capacity of schooling to include 960,000 more students (the 40% of Syrian children
outside the camps that arent attending school). The Turkish Ministry of National Education
(MoNE) meets annually and makes decisions on the fields of training to be provided under the
VET system and related geographical distribution countrywide (Serban, 2004). Because social
partners are allowed to attend, ECG must attend an annual meeting with MoNE to discuss
further steps and actions to take for the implementation of vocational education for Syrian
refugee kids living in Turkish cities and towns.

The total cost of implementation can be very pricy; in 2008, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) allocated $23,200,000 towards a refugee education
system in Jordan and $6,400,000 in Syria. Of this, 84% of the funding goes into the education
while only 16% of it goes into infrastructure (Dryden-Peterson, 2011). We plan to work with the
UNCHR to receive funding straight from their large budgets (average of $70 million annually) to
fund a VET program. By acting as the mediators of the source of funding, we plan on leveraging
that to convince MoNE to allow us to implement our layout of vocational studies around camps
for Syrian refugees to attend. In order to improve convenience and allow for these studies in
cities and towns all over Turkey, we will be providing much of the teaching content via the
expansion of online resources.

Online Resources:
The benefits of providing an education for refugees is numerous, however there is still the
matter of cost and effectiveness of providing that education. Our group proposes a focus on
using online resources to enhance the education of refugees while lowering the overall costs.
Resources found online will be able to both help teachers provide lessons for their students and
give information directly to students through web courses. This will provide online instruction
that can be delivered instantaneously around the world remov[ing] the limitations of geography
and time (Bichelmeyer, Barbara, et al. 2016). Online courses have the added benefit of being
flexible in the language they are taught in. A single computer with a projector can teach an
entire classroom. The majority of Syrian refugees first language is Arabic while Turkeys
national language is Turkish. Finding additional teachers on site for their linguistic ability can be
more difficult than showing a lesson recorded in another country.

The lives of refugees are not stable which can lead to additional challenges when trying to
provide an education. Students can move camps, and have difficulties attending class due to
home life and responsibilities. The UN reports that the ability to pack thousands of educational
resources into a single device makes tools such as e-readers and tablets well suited to refugee
environments (UNHCR 2016). A mobile education platform that a student can carry with them
is a huge advantage. Previously students would need dozens of books to compare to the
information found on a single device. Whether e-readers or a general computer were used, the
most cost effective one could be used as the education provided by those devices has no
statistical difference between the two groups (Means, Barbara, et al. 2010). Material for these
groups may need to be curated due to varying levels education in different school systems
immediately over an internet connection. Teachers may develop curriculums for these students
while in other countries for devices and on screen lectures without the need to transport the
lecturers themselves.

Conclusion:
Education is a key for the future of people across the globe, and those in turbulent situations are
especially vulnerable to not having access to it. Giving Syrian refugees in Turkey the
opportunity to receive a quality education is the first step in putting a foundation back in their
lives to let them succeed anywhere. The UN is at the frontline of providing education and
stability to these children but improvements can always be made. Cutting public health costs,
implementing a VET program, and expanding online educational resources all contribute to the
value of the education these children receive. No child, no matter their situation, should be
without a quality education, and using cost effective resources will only strengthen that
foundation.
Annotated Bibliography:

Bichelmeyer, Barbara, et al. Costs and Pricing of Distance/Online Education Programs. iu,
Dec. 9 2011, Indiana University, http://online.iu.edu/_assets/docs/iche-costspricing.pdf.
Accessed 15 Feb 2017.
This report was composed by Barbara Bichelmeyer, Steve Keucher, Mike Eddy, Mary
Sadowski, Jennifer Bott, Bernard Hannon as a joint report from Indiana University,
Purdue University, and Ball State University to the Indiana Commission for Higher
Education on the cost effectiveness of online education. This report analysyses the
merits and cost of higher education from long distance and why that information is
relevant in the emerging field of online education. Though it mainly focuses on higher
education, the prevalence of online education tools at cost for primary schools has to be
analyzed as well and the merits of such online programs. Though there are a number of
free resources available to students, oftentimes a more quality solution would want to be
developed which will need to be cost effective to reach millions of students. This report
should provide a good overview of how the cost of a single course can reach students
without the need of individual teachers present in a single class room.

Cutler, David M., and Adriana Lleras-Muney. "Education and Health: Insights from International
Comparisons." Cambridge, Mass., USA: n.p., 2012. N. pag. Print.
This report by was written by authors David Cutler Adriana Lleras-Muney of the National
Bureau of Economic Research, a respectable private nonprofit research organization in
the United States. This is a paper that examines the relationship between health and
education, but this paper focuses on nutritional aspects of health. They are able to
conclude in their research that education level is indicative of health. This directly relates
to the crisis for Syrian refugees in Turkey, as it is often difficult with little money to sustain
a healthy diet. This paper will continue to develop a rationale as to why health and
education are intertwined. It will also help in developing some solutions to the problem of
poor health for refugee children, which can keep them out of school.

Dorman, Stephanie. "Educational Needs Assessment for Urban Syrian Refugees in Turkey."
Alnap, (2014): n. pag. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
This report was written by a Duke University Felsman Fellow who served for the YUVA
Association in Turkey. The author had the opportunity post graduation to visit Turkey and
talk to and interview government authorities, researchers, Syrian refugees, and Turks.
As mentioned in the Executive Summary, this report will focus on Syrian children and
adults in terms of educational needs and with more attention on the needs to women
and girls (Dorman, 2016). Based off the objective questions the author provides, this
report delves into the child and adult educational opportunities of Syrians in Turkey
outside of camps, educational providers, provider capacity, quality of those opportunities
and barriers to school attendance (Dorman, 2016). The genre is a journal article for the
purpose is to provide recommendations to programs supporting Syrian refugees. The
intended audience is those who work for aforementioned programs or those who intend
to start a program for Syrian refugees outside of camps. The media outlet is Internet and
 the author seems very reliable based on the YUVA Association in Turkey and her
LinkedIn profile and those who vouched for her skills in International Development. She
gives great background on the topic and provides first time experience with existing
educational programs as well as provide statistical findings through her surveys and
interviews in Turkey.

Dryden-Peterson, Sarah. "Refugee Education A Global Review." The UN Refugee Agency,

(2011): n. pag. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
This report was written as a Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) to
assess the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on their current
education systems set in refugee camps around the world. The genre is a report and the
purpose is to assess the current education systems in place and identify areas for
improvement and create an agenda for change. The intended audience is those who are
interested in learning about UNHCRs school systems in place and those who are
interested in working for the changes. The media is the Internet and it seems credible to
me because its on behalf of a well-known organization. This will be very useful because
it gives insight on what is already in place in the refugee camps in Turkey and the cost
details for the implementation.

Means, Barbara, et al. Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-

Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. ed, Sept. 2010, U.S. Department of
Education, https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf.
Accessed 15 Feb 2017.
This report was composed by Barbara Means, Yukie Toyama, Robert Murphy, Marianne
Bakia, and Karla Jones as part of the US Department of Educations study on online
learning. This is a detailed report analyzing how effective online learning has become in
the U.S. composed of a meta-analysis of multiple studies. The report comprises how
effective face to face teaching is compared to online learning, the most effective ways of
using online learning for the benefits of students, and what conditions is online learning
best appropriate for. Though this a US study, the ideas behind what makes online
learning effective is very relevant for the research we are conducting. If online courses
are ineffective as a whole, setting up the tools for students to access will be an
ineffective project that could make the situation worse for refugees as a whole. This
report should give a strong insight into the methods that online education has been
applied effectively.

Missing Out: Refugee Education in Crisis. UNHCR, Sept. 2016,

http://www.unhcr.org/57d9d01d0 Accessed 15 Feb 2017.
This report was created by the UNHCR in an attempt to inform countries about that
status of education of refugees from primary to secondary schooling. The UNs refugee
agency reports on the news and status of refugees across the world and the UNs part in
helping those refugees while providing solutions to the problems they face. The UNHCR
is at the forefront of refugee reports and actual action to help educate refugees. The
report examines the overview of education that primary school age students have
 access to in camps and areas across the globe. It details the percentage of students in
and out of education programs, the snowballing effect this has on education the longer
the student goes without schooling, and the importance of education in general. The
report also analyses who is impacted the most, and which students would need attention
first. Though the report does not list secondary sources, it comes from the agency
primarily responsible for refugee education so it should be treated respectively. Besides
examining education overall, it has specific details on where online and electronic
education fits in.

Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2016-2017. Turkey Monthly Update December 2016.
Rep. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Dec. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.
This report put out by the UNHCR provides information regarding education for Syrian
refugees in Turkey. It provides data as to what percentage of refugee children are still
not able to receive an education. This data helps to establish credibility and set a tone
that this really is a big problem that needs to be addressed. This source was very useful
in providing detailed facts to back up our other sources and our solutions, but provided
little besides that.

Serban, Madlen. "Social Dialogue in Vocational Education and Training and Employment in
Turkey." ETF, (2004): n. pag. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
This report was created by the international peer review team of the European Training
Foundation but the first listed member of this review team was Madlen Serban. As
mentioned in the Executive Summary of the report, this text will seek to identify the
future possibilities and constraints in the development towards effective communications
of the topics of vocational education and training (VET) and employment. (Rapporteur,
9). The genre is a peer reviewed report and the purpose is to find and offer the next
steps furthering social dialogue which would support VET and employment systems
(Rapporteur, 9). The intended audience is all those who are and those who hope to be
involved in the social dialogue in VET. The media is the Internet and this report seems
trustworthy since it was created by a peer review team that emphasizes the importance
so social dialogue in the paper. Since part of my research involves the potential benefits
of vocational studies to assess whether it should be implemented in our project, I think
this report is very useful since its main topic is social dialogue in VET and the location is
Turkey.

Ward, Joseph L., and Russell M. Viner. Secondary Education and Health Outcomes in Young
People from the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS). Plos One 11.6 (2016): n. pag.Academic
OneFile [Gale]. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
This paper was written by Joseph Ward and Russell Viner from the Institute of Child
Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom. This paper evaluates the
the direct relationship between health and education outcomes. The relationship works
both ways, better education informs better health decisions, and a better overall health
improves educational outcomes. This research was done in the country of South Africa,
but it is applicable to the situation in Turkey due to the focus on secondary education,
 which is not compulsory for refugees in the country. This paper was written to study the
relationship between health and education in a middle to low income country. This paper
will help establish why a broken relationship between health and education is such a big
issue for everyone, including refugees. It provides a sound foundation as to the
necessity of providing both healthcare and education to those in dire need.

When I Picture My Future, I See Nothing. Human Rights Watch, 8 Nov. 2015. Web. 14 Feb.
2017.
This report was created by the Human Rights Watch, which is a American-based NGO
that is a human rights watchdog around the world. This report examines the good
conditions of education in Syrian refugee camps in the country of Turkey, as well as
some gaps in education for the refugees who are living outside of the camps. It provides
evidence of barriers to seeking education that are present for the refugees living in the
cities of Turkey. The two barriers relating to education and health are the lack of access
to affordable healthcare and lax child labor laws. This report was created by Human
Rights Watch as part of a series to highlight the lack of access to reliable education for
syrian refugees, and this NGO is very reliable. This source provides new evidence as to
how Turkey runs its education programs for refugees, and presents the issues that
remain.