ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 382

Figure 3: The numbers of the UN-registered Syrian refugees in Turkey (UNHCR 2014)
According to data collected by Support to Life (STL) team in Istanbul, there are up to 15,000 Syrian
families in Istanbul, most of them having arrived since the second quarter of this year. The main
concentration of Syrian refugees in Istanbul is in Fatih, Zeytinburnu, Bayrampasa and Esenler 5
districts, with Syrians families having settled in Gaziosmanpasa, Bagcilar, Basaksehir and Kucukcekmece. The primary reason for the choice of location for settlement is linked to the existence
of support mechanisms as well as income opportunities. Community networks among Syrians is
an important factor for the decision to settle in a particular location once families have arrived in
Istanbul. Syrian families choosing to settle in Istanbul have explained increased rents in the border provinces and a lack of opportunities for income as the two main reasons for their decision.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Turkey Syrian Refugee Daily Sitrep
mentioned in its 2014 report that, Syria and Turkey are very different countries with significant
cultural, societal, and historical differences that are as anticipated reflected in their educational
systems and curricula. For example, while older girls and boys learn in sex-segregated governmental schools in Syria, boys and girls study together in Turkey. Thus, kids who receive an education based on the Syrian curriculum are less possible to adapt quickly and function in a Turkish
environment. There are different classes of Syrians currently settled in Istanbul, ranging from the
relatively better off families to Syrian Roma groups whose children are begging on the streets of
Istanbul, particularly in the Eminonu neighborhood.
Education
Education in Turkey has been developed over the last 25 years, but there is still a difference between females and males, as well as countryside and urban areas. Istanbul has a more educated
labor force compared to the rest part of the turkey as there is better availability of higher educational facilities, such as Universities.
Children between the 7 and 12 years old are obligatory by law to go to the school. Vocational education is for free as well as specialized schools for the deaf, blind, mentally retarded, orphans and
destitute. Important progress has been achieved in the quality and quantity of education services
in order to improve human capital, which is one of the most important concerns of sustainable
development. Due to the improvements in the education and literacy levels of women, active
labor programs and employment incentives for women, the participation of women in labor has
been increased from 23.3 percent to 28.8 percent between 2004 and 2011.

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ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce, Italy