Observers expect hundreds of thousands of Syrians, and perhaps more than a million, to return with the end of the school year in Turkey, which falls on June 20.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper reported that the return of Syrians from Turkey to their country was linked to the end of the school year and obtaining official documents so their children could complete their education in Syria. It noted that indications of return are also evident in the statements of dozens of Syrians and the display of some of their properties in Turkey.
In an interview with the newspaper, Ghazwan Qarnaful, head of the Syrian Lawyers Association in Turkey, predicted that the number of returnees after the closure of schools would reach approximately one and a half million Syrians. He attributed the reasons to the wait for educational documents, the high cost of living in Turkey, and the liberation of Syria, which would thus eliminate the reason for seeking asylum.
Inas Ziadeh, a member of the Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee, predicted that large numbers of Syrians would return this year, with only about one million Syrians likely to remain in Turkey, the majority of whom hold Syrian citizenship or are business owners. Ziadeh noted that owning a home in Syria is one of the most important reasons for return, while those without a home or job may remain for a period, especially since Türkiye does not require any Syrian to return. For his part, Jalal Demir, the former director of the Nizip refugee camp, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "It is likely that more than one million Syrians will return, and their return has been delayed due to the lack of schools. Syria has become free and promising, even for non-Syrians. Many see a quick return as a way to secure a job, before rents rise. At the same time, we have noticed the disappearance of manifestations of hatred and violence against Syrians, even in the provinces whose municipalities are headed by opposition parties that led previous racist campaigns."
The number of Syrian students in Turkey in 2024 reached 819,265, distributed among 103,000 students in secondary school, 273,000 in middle school, 398,000 in primary school, and approximately 44,000 in kindergarten. More than 60,000 Syrians are also receiving education at Turkish universities, and more than 17,000 Syrians graduated from Turkish universities as of last year.
Official data reveals that 238,000 Syrians under temporary protection have exceptionally obtained Turkish citizenship. Of these naturalized individuals, 134,422 are adults and 100,633 are children.
The newspaper concluded its report by stating that high living costs in Turkey remain the primary reason behind the decision of many Syrians to return. The minimum wage, which is approximately 22,000 Turkish liras, barely covers rent and basic living expenses in remote provinces, while the average rent in Istanbul is no less than 20,000 Turkish liras (one US dollar equals 39 Turkish liras).
It is worth noting that, over the past six months, approximately 273,000 Syrians have returned to Syria from Turkey, out of a total of more than 3 million Syrian refugees, according to recent statements by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
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