EU starts education program for 230,000 refugee children to attend school in Turkey

The European Commission on Thursday launched a large humanitarian program for education in emergencies to encourage some 230,000 refugee children to attend school in Turkey.

According to the Commission, the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) project, worth 34 million euros (36.5 million U.S. dollars), will provide bimonthly cash-transfers as of May 2017 to vulnerable refugee families whose children regularly attend school.

Turkey currently has more than three million refugees, almost half of whom are children, according to the Commission.

Education for school-age children was a key challenge, with 500,000 children enrolled in formal education across the country, either in Turkish schools or in Temporary Education Centers (TECs), while an estimated 370,000 remained out of school.

The project will be implemented in partnership with UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and its partner the Turkish Red Crescent, explained the Commission.