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As of January 2024, there were over 274,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq, most of whom resided in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I). By November 2023, 70 per cent of Syrian refugee children were enrolled in 1,500 public schools in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I).
The integration of refugee children in public schools benefits both refugee and Kurdish communities: It gives refugee children access to quality education on par with local community students, minimizes the need for disruptive, costly and temporary measures to sustain parallel refugee schooling, and fosters social cohesion between refugees and host communities. Refugees’ inclusion into public schools will also pave the way for their enhanced economic inclusion, improving their ability to pursue productive and meaningful lives.
KEY MILESTONES
→ In 2022, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) partnered with UNHCR, UNICEF, Save the Children and partners to launch the REIP to gradually integrate Syrian refugee children and teachers into the public education system. Previously, Syrian refugee children in camps and urban areas learnt in a parallel education system.
→ The implementation of the REIP started with the 2022-2023 academic year for grades 1-4 and was subsequently extended to include grade 5 for the 2023-2024 academic year.
→ In December 2023 at the Global Refugee Forum, the KRG pledged to incrementally implement the REIP for grades 5-12 by 2030.
→ In January 2024, the Federal Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that Syrian children will be allowed to enroll in public schools in Iraq, regardless of their parents’ documents.