Refugees of the Syrian civil war in Egypt
Egypt, which does not border Syria, became a major destination for Syrian refugees since 2012 following the election of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who was a critic of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. As of 2016, there are 114,911 registered Syrian refugees living in Egypt.[1]
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Refugee Conditions in Egypt[edit]
Employment[edit]
Egypt has a large informal market and most Syrians work in it. There are cafés in this informal market where a majority of unregistered Syrians work. The majority of Syrian registered with UNHCR have a higher chance of receiving a job because they are in Egypt legally.[3] It is not a simple task to gain employment because of Egypt's reservation on refugee access to the labor market in the 1951 refugee convention.[3]
Housing[edit]
In Egypt, refugees are allowed to live in the cities unlike some of their neighboring countries. The majority of Syrians that registered with UNHCR have housing in Egypt because of their resettlement program.[4] However, there are more barriers to entry in Egypt. There has been more detention as a means of housing and a holding ground before deportation.[4]
Education[edit]
Public Schools[edit]
In 2012, the president of Egypt granted Syrians access to the public school system and aid in registration. Education is free to Syrian Refugees but it does exclude post-graduate education.[5] Students are required to have their passports and a copy of their transcript from Syria. If a student does not have their transcript they can take a placement exam to determine their level of education. Upon application for school Syrian students receive a document that gives them access to a one-year residency permit.
Refugee Schools[edit]
There are Syrian learning centers in Egypt that differ from the public school system because they are accredited.[5] These educational institutions are a source of jobs for Syrian teachers because they are not allowed to legally teach in the Egyptian public school system. These schools offer assistance with the Egyptian curriculum.[5]