TURKIYE

Programme helps Syrian refugees pursue university study

More than 4,200 Syrian youth will benefit from Turkish academic programmes, a joint statement by the Turks Abroad and Related Communities and the UN’s refugee agency said, reports the Hurriyet Daily News. Turkey is the largest refugee-hosting country in the world with more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees.

The statement said they are working together with the European Union “to increase access to quality higher education opportunities for Syrian youth in Turkey”. “The establishment of university preparation programmes will enable Syrian students to acquire the Turkish language skills needed to study in Turkish universities,” it said. The titles of the projects are “Supporting the national institutions in Turkey to mitigate the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis”, and “Increasing access to higher education for Syrian refugees in Turkey.”

Stressing the importance of the projects, UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) representative in Turkey Katharina Lumpp said: “The combined efforts will contribute to ensuring that Syrian youth are able to realise their dreams of going to university and will later be able to make a positive contribution to the communities in which they live as skilled professionals.”
Full report on the Hurriyet Daily News site