EU provides additional $567M for Syrians’ education program

THE EUROPEAN Union is providing a further 530 million euros ($567 million) as educational assistance for Syrian children in Turkey, Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, said on Thursday.

“An additional 530 million euros have been dedicated” for the Syrian children’s education via the Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into Turkish Education System (PIKTES) program, MeyerLandrut told Anadolu Agency (AA) during a visit to the southeastern province of Mardin.

“This will allow continuing the financing of the PIKTES program in which we finance more than 3,300 teachers who do an extraordinary job but also more than 4,500 security and cleaning staff who is also indispensable for the success of good schools,” Meyer-Landrut went on to say.

He noted that one-third of the initial 6 billion euros had been invested in supporting Turkey with education measures.

Meyer-Landrut emphasized that the bloc’s cooperation with Turkey in the area of education would continue.

“I’m happy to say today that we’ll continue our cooperation and our financial support for the (Turkish) Ministry of National Education in the area of education for the years to come,” he said.

The bloc’s cooperation in the education of Syrian children in Turkey under PIKTES will last until summer 2025, the EU official noted.

However, he explained that this support would not be limited to PIKTES, with the EU providing cash transfers so Syrian families can send their children to school.

Adding that the EU also assists with substantive and equipment support to prefabricated schools for early education, he said it finances the construction of around 300 such schools.

Meyer-Landrut paid a visit to Mardin for talks with local Turkish officials along with the ambassadors of some EU countries.

The delegation visited a secondary school in the Kızıltepe district and met with teachers and students.

Turkey is the largest host country for Syrian refugees and provides protection to nearly 4 million people who fled the neighboring country.