Turkey, EU join forces for education of Syrian children

A new project introduced by Turkish and European Union officials focuses on educating the so-called lost generation of Syrian refugees forced to skip their education as they are displaced by the ongoing war in their country. Under the project, Turkey plans to integrate thousands of children from among the more than 3 million Syrian refugees in the country in the Turkish education system. The European Union pledged 650 million euros for their education. Turkey already provides education to 570,000 Syrian children and strives to have more enrolled in schools. Some 390,000 children will be taught Turkish as part of the project, which employs 5,496 teachers. Children will also be enrolled in Arabic classes and extra courses to recuperate for school terms they missed when they were forced to leave their country. Despite ongoing efforts, some 41 percent of Syrian refugee children of school age in Turkey remain out of school due to various factors.