Evidence Gap and Literature Review Findings: Northwest Syria

The devastating and ongoing conflict in Syria which erupted in 2011 urgently necessitates research on education to assess and inform de facto policies, humanitarian and development initiatives that children’s rights to quality education, and mitigating the negative impact of conflict on the young generation. Through the conflict, the northwestern region of Syria transitioned away from the Syrian government. Turkish-backed non-state actors stepped in to govern areas of the northwestern region – referred to as opposition areas – striving to fill the gap left by the absent central government (henceforth, the regime). Amidst armed and political conflicts, children have become chronically vulnerable to the violation of their rights to protection and quality educational provisions. To promote evidence-based educational policies, interventions and directions for education aid, and development in Northwest Syria (NW Syria), the ERICC programme focuses on gathering, analysing and producing contextually relevant education research. In this initial phase, we review the existing research evidence published in academic journals and reports produced by organisations and research centres that examine the policy and local levels of the education system in NW Syria.

Through this evidence review, we identify research gaps that help us formulate a research agenda that stakeholders in NW Syria can critically review and prioritise. We have found that the existing body of research studies has primarily focused on assessment of the status quo of school infrastructure, teacher workforce and children’s access to schooling. These studies were mostly designed to provide information to aid and development initiatives. However, they fall short in producing evidence on how to improve access to, quality and continuity of education, a lack of which undermines intervention programmes. The major gaps in research include further studies into improving governance, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; producing and using data systems; reducing vulnerabilities and marginalisation, as well as an increased focus on caregivers and school-based practitioners and infrastructure and materials. Hence, this paper highlights the need for further research in NW Syria that focuses on how to develop human capacities to strengthen education systems, develop pedagogical approaches, and train/ support teachers and parents to enable more effective delivery of quality education to all children. At the same time it must address the inevitable violence in this context in children’s everyday lives.