Turkey’s resilience-building strategies for Syrian refugees in the field of higher education

The Syrian civil war has created one of the world’s biggest humanitarian and refugee crises, with the political, cultural and social integration of Syrian refugees proving challenging for host countries. In January 2019, 3,628,180 Syrian refugees were under temporary protection in Turkey, with over half of these children and youths. Education is vital for these refugees’ integration and building resilience among them. This paper examines Syrian refugees’ access to higher education and the ways in which it contributes to their resilience building in Turkey. Syrian refugees face significant challenges in higher education which in turn negatively affect their social and cultural integration within Turkey. These include psychological and financial problems, language barriers and complicated admission procedures. Syrian refugees’ integration within Turkish higher education has been given increased attention but remains a low priority in comparison to the provision of basic needs such as housing, employment and health. In order to improve Syrian refugees’ access to higher education, the Turkish government should make state loans available to Syrian students. Universities should also improve the provision of Turkish language courses for Syrian students. The Turkish government and civil society organisations should provide them with psychological support. Further, the Turkish government should help Syrians enter the labour market after graduation, in particular through easing restrictions on work permits