Turkey and Qatar plan to establish an international university together, the Turkish Education Minister, Nabi Avcı announced on Tuesday. The university will give priority to placements to Syrian refugees in Turkey, said Avcı. The Minister made the comments in the Turkish capital during his meeting with Ankara representatives of various newspapers and television stations. Turkey is home to over 1.7 million displaced Syrians, and about 300,000 of them reside in camps located in border cities. The children are estimated to make up half of the Syrian population in Turkey. To ensure a better future for Syrian children, Turkey offers education in refugee camps through the initiatives of municipalities and non-governmental organizations. Teachers at the camps teach the children the Syrian curriculum, but each child still also receives five hours of Turkish language classes per week, Avcı said in Tuesday's meeting. Previously, if Syrian refugee children wished to continue their education in Turkish universities, they could only do so via a quotes system reserved just for them. "After Turkish students are placed at universities, then we draft the Syrians through additional placements," said the Education Minister.Now, Syrian refugees will not have to go through a quota system to enter universities in the country. The new international university which will be established by a joint Turkey-Qatar collaboration, will give them a priority.