Turkey-EU sign $400M protocol to educate Syrians

Turkey's National Education Ministry and the EU delegation signed on Thursday a $400-million protocol on the education of Syrians in the country.

The protocol is part of the Project of Supporting Integration of Syrian Children to Turkish Education System (PICTES 2).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Turkish Deputy Minister of Education Reha Denemec said there are 655,000 Syrian children enrolled in the Turkish education system.

He said 91 percent Syrian children of primary school age are getting formal education.

"This is a good number, however, the numbers fall in preschool and high school," he said.

Denemec said enrollment falls to 25 percent in high school because children have to contribute to the family income.

He added that the PICTES 2 includes measures to prevent dropouts.

EU Ambassador to Turkey Christian Berger said more than 600,000 Syrian children receive good quality education in Turkey and the EU will continue its support.

Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.

The country has spent more than $32 billion of its own national resources to help and shelter Syrians since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.