Turkish school named after Erdoğan to open in Syria’s Damascus

Türkiye will open a Turkish school with capacity for about 1,000 students in the Syrian capital Damascus on Oct. 4 as Ankara and Damascus expand cooperation, the Turkish Education Ministry said.

The Damascus International Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Turkish School, named after Türkiye’s president, will open in the Artuz area of the Syrian capital and will begin providing education during the 2026-2027 academic year.

The school will operate under Türkiye’s Education Ministry and include kindergarten, primary, middle and high school levels, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The ministry said the school was established as part of growing education cooperation and coordination between Türkiye and Syria, including efforts aimed at expanding access to education for Syrian children and young people.

The facility has 36 classrooms and will accommodate about 1,000 students.

A delegation from the Turkish Education Ministry is expected to attend the opening ceremony and the school’s first class.

Ankara said the project was also intended to support children from families returning to Syria and help them adapt to education following their return.

The ministry described the school as part of broader efforts to strengthen educational links between the two countries, which share longstanding historical, cultural and social ties.

Türkiye has expanded its education-related activities in Syria as Ankara and Damascus have sought closer cooperation in several areas.

Turkish education officials have held a series of meetings and visits in Syria in recent months. Türkiye’s education office in Damascus said officials inspected the new school’s campus in September ahead of its planned opening.

The Education Ministry said it expects the school to provide students in Syria with access to Türkiye’s educational system while contributing to closer ties between the two countries.

The opening comes as Türkiye and Syria increase coordination on education following years of conflict that severely disrupted Syria’s education system and displaced millions of people.

Turkish officials have said supporting education and facilitating the adaptation of returning families are among the objectives of Ankara’s cooperation with Syrian authorities.

On Aug. 6, officials from Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and Syria’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research also signed a memorandum of understanding to advance educational cooperation between the two countries.

Under the memorandum, the two parties will continue work on the legal framework, governance structure, academic organization, student admission procedures, quality assurance mechanisms and administrative regulations for the planned Syria-Türkiye University in Damascus.

DAILYSABAH