Iraqis in Türkiye and Their Access to Education Services, and the Problems They Encounter: The Case of Ankara

The mass arrival of Iraqis in Türkiye can be dated broadly to the 1980s. Despite a migration history of some 40 years, the access to basic services of Iraqis, who form a large segment of society, remains a current issue to which no comprehensive response has yet been developed. Chief among the factors that have led to the forced migration of Iraqis to Türkiye are the instability the country has experienced, regional wars and internal conflicts. A significant proportion of the Iraqis who migrated to Türkiye initially made use of international protection mechanisms in order to be resettled in a third country. However, as resettlement procedures came to take many years, children’s access to education also began to become a serious problem. As Iraqis placed in pilot satellite cities moved over time to other provinces for work or family reasons, access to education became a far more serious problem. This study focuses on the access of Iraqis in Türkiye to education services and the problems they encounter.