Some 370,000 Syrian children are expected to begin the new school year in temporary learning centers within Turkey this academic year, according to figures reported by the Turkish press.
The Turk Press website said the figures and statistics show the high numbers of Syrian students compared with the limited capacity of the temporary education centers built for them.
The number of Syrian students enrolled in the schools of the Turkish Ministry of Education across the country have witnessed a significant increase in 2015, doubling the number of students from last year, up from 38,757 students.
The temporary learning centers, established for Syrian students, will suffer from severe pressures due to a huge increase in the number of attending students, despite the decision of the Turkish authorities to increase the capacity of these centers from 199,000 students to 299,000 students, as the total number of students enrolled in these centers this year reached to about 370,000 students.
In the school year of 2014-2015, the number of Syrian kindergarten students in temporary accommodation centers numbered 8,325, the number of primary school students was 45,147 students, the number of secondary school students was 19,536 students, while the number of high school students was 9,414 students.
Currently, the number of kindergarten students in temporary learning centers within the cities has reached 4,508 students, the number of primary school students reached 59,450 students, the number of secondary school students reached 32,407 students, and the number of high school students reached 9,400 students, bringing the total number to 105,765 Syrian students.
The Turkish authorities contributed to the establishment of 266 temporary learning centers during the academic year of 2014-2015, of which, 34 centers were built inside collective accommodation centers, and 232 in the city centers which are home to large populations of Syrian refugees.
Syrian students, especially high school students, will face a number of difficulties during their study, most notably the curriculum, which differs greatly from their study in Syria.
In the past, students could register for the Libyan high school certificate, but after the introduction of the high school curriculum provided by the opposition’s Syrian Interim Government, a conflict between the acceptance of the two certificates emerged, leading to the development of the "standardized test" for the holders of the two certificates, in order to determine the pass mark for each student who wishes to register for admission to university.
According to sources, the new test requires students to complete a large questionnaire over three hours. The new test has outraged many students, as nobody has taken the time to explain the details of such a test.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
