Education of Syrian Refugee Children Managing the Crisis in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan Shelly Culbertson, Louay Constant C O R P O R A T I O N For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR859 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-0-8330-9239-7 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2015 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover image: Syrian children in a school in Jordan (Shelly Culbertson). Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.html. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface The Syrian civil war has displaced half of Syria’s population, with civilians fleeing internally or to other countries. Neighboring coun- tries—particularly Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt— have generously opened borders to the refugees in response to such great humanitarian need, and the international aid community has responded with assistance. The Syrian refugee crisis is now spilling over into Europe. A particular area of concern is education for the refugee children, important for the future of Syrian and host country societ- ies. This scoping study is intended to contribute to the ongoing policy discussions among governments, donors, and United Nations agencies about the education of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan (the three countries with the largest populations of Syrian refugees), on four topics: • Access: How can refugee children access education? • Management: How will refugee education be planned, man- aged, and supported? • Society: How can refugee education promote a stable and pros- perous society? How can plans for refugee education be managed within sensitive political constraints? • Quality: How can the quality of education for both refugees and host country citizens be promoted in such difficult circumstances? The report concludes with policy implications, discussions of trade-offs among goals within resources and political constraints, and needed areas of further research. iii iv Education of Syrian Refugee Children The Center for Middle East Public Policy This research was supported through philanthropic contributions and conducted under RAND’s Initiative for Middle East Youth (IMEY) within the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy (CMEPP), part of International Programs at the RAND Corporation. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND focuses on the issues that matter most, such as education, health, national security, international affairs, law and business, the environment, and more. CMEPP brings together analytic excellence and regional expertise from across the RAND Corporation to address the most critical politi- cal, social, and economic challenges facing the Middle East today. For more information about the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy, visit www.rand.org/cmepp or contact the director (contact information is provided on the web page). Contents Preface ............................................................................. iii Figures and Tables ...............................................................vii Summary .......................................................................... ix Acknowledgments ............................................................. xvii CHAPTER ONE Introduction ....................................................................... 1 Background and Study Objectives ............................................... 1 Regional Context and Considerations ........................................... 2 Time Frames, Scenarios, and the Politics of Expectations .................... 6 Study Approach, Limitations, and Organization of the Report .............. 9 CHAPTER TWO Access ..............................................................................13 Access Policies, Data, and Rates for Formal Education ......................13 Barriers to Formal Education ....................................................16 Alternative Educational Programs ............................................. 20 Policy Considerations ............................................................ 22 CHAPTER THREE Management ......................................................................29 Roles and Responsibilities ........................................................29 Plans and Budgets .................................................................35 Information for Decisionmakers and Refugees ................................41 Policy Considerations .............................................................45 v vi Education of Syrian Refugee Children CHAPTER FOUR Society .............................................................................49 Structure of Refugee Education and Considerations for Social Cohesion ......................................................................49 Issues of Certification ............................................................ 56 The Relation Between Livelihoods and Access to Education ................58 The Classroom as a Protective Environment ...................................59 Policy Considerations .............................................................61 CHAPTER FIVE Quality .............................................................................65 Quality of Education for Refugees ..............................................65 Quality of Education for Citizens .............................................. 68 Policy Considerations .............................................................70 CHAPTER SIX Conclusion ........................................................................73 APPENDIX A Research Agenda in Support of Syrian Refugee Education ...........79 Abbreviations .....................................................................81 References .........................................................................83 Figures and Tables Figures 1.1. The Scale of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan ............................................................. 3 1.2. Growth in Syrian Refugees, June 2012 to October 2015 ........ 4 1.3. A Functional Framework for Syrian Refugee Education ........10 2.1. School Enrollment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan in 2015 ..................................................14 2.2. Options for a Strategy for Education Access for Out-of- School Syrians ....................................................... 23 3.1. Education Budget Requests for the 2014 Regional Response Plan 6 ..................................................... 36 3.2 Education Budget Requests for the 2015 Refugee and Resilience Response Plan ...........................................39 4.1. Syrian Students Enrolled in Four Models of Classrooms in 2013–2014 ....................................................... 50 Tables 3.1. Entities and their Roles and Responsibilities in Syrian Refugee Education .................................................. 30 4.1. Advantages and Risks of Separate and Integrated Education for Syrian Refugees .....................................55 6.1. Goals for an Access Strategy for Out-of-School Syrian Refugee Children ....................................................76 vii Summary The Syrian refugee situation is one of the most devastating humanitar- ian crises of our time. From the start of the civil war in 2011 to Septem- ber 2015, half of Syria’s population of 23 million has been displaced, with at least 7.6 million displaced internally and 4 million refugees. The influx of the Syrian refugees is on such a large scale that it is alter- ing the demographics of countries that have accepted them, increasing Lebanon’s population by more than 25 percent, Jordan’s population by 10 percent, and the population of border areas of Turkey by 10–20 per- cent. The governments and citizens of these countries have demon- strated remarkable generosity toward the refugees. But the presence of the refugees has placed significant demands on overstretched public service sectors and has caused tensions in coun- tries that face their own development and stability challenges. It has caused crowding in schools and hospitals; rents have risen in poorer areas; and there are downward pressures on wages or worsening unem- ployment in economies that already have high unemployment. Public sectors lack needed resources, and educational, health, and other ser- vices cannot keep pace. Government budgets and infrastructure are increasingly