The earthquake deals the Syrian education sector a new blow
Nour el-Din Ismaiel
Mohammed Al-Abboud insists on not sending his children to their school in the city of Idlib until the situation stabilizes following the earthquakes, or at least until the end of the first week of March, as the start of the school year after a two-week hiatus due to a devastating earthquake that hit northern Syria and southern Turkey on February 6th.
The quake, which struck the country on February 6th, 2023, left behind great destruction in residential buildings, public facilities, and schools in various Syrian regions, practically halting life in all aspects. Civil buildings and schools in affected cities such as Idlib and Aleppo are already damaged and cracked because of military operations and shelling that targeted them over the past ten years.
Mohammed Al-Abboud is not the only concerned parent with the continuing aftershocks putting their children's lives at risk.
According to sources from the region, a state of panic and rush caused by one of the aftershocks led to the falling of a female student from the stairs of "Salah al-Din" school in a camp in the border town of Kafr Lusin near Bab Al-Hawa crossing, after the Directorate of Education in opposition-controlled areas of Idlib allowed the return of students to schools.
As if the region did not need anything else but an earthquake to crush the last hope of returning children to education after the prolonged war.
From one of the schools damaged by the earthquake in the city of Idlib.
From one of the schools damaged by the earthquake in the city of Idlib.
Dilapidated Education Reality in Northwestern Syria
The management of the education sector in northwestern Syria is split between the interim government (affiliated with the opposition National Coalition) and the Rescue Government (affiliated with the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Levant Liberation(Committee(, with a significant shortage in providing basic requirements to manage the educational process. As a result, the number of student casualties has reached 421 students, as well as about thirty-nine teachers and administrators, in Idlib province, which is managed by the Rescue Government.
In an exclusive interview with Rozana, Dr. Jihad Hijazi, the Minister of Education in the interim government, stated that 226 students lost their lives as a result of the earthquake in the areas managed by the interim government in northern and eastern Aleppo, and more than 1,041 other students were injured.
According to Hijazi, the number of schools that are out of service due to the earthquake and cannot be restored is 11 schools, while 395 schools have been damaged and need repair. In addition to converting some schools into temporary housing centers, the total number of suspended schools is 450.
He affirmed that "more than 265,000 students will not be able to return to their schools, either because they are living in camps formed as a result of the earthquake, or because their schools are damaged, or have been turned into housing centers, while schools that have not been damaged can have their students return to them if the educational process is resumed".
Regarding the solutions presented to the Ministry to follow up on the educational process, Hijazi explained that the Ministry “has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Paths initiative for distance education, to provide the lessons for intermediate and secondary levels, and activate the Ministry's YouTube channel.” He also noted that the Ministry “has issued invitations and appeals to hold an intranational conference to support education, renovate schools, and support affected students”, but there is nothing clear about holding it in the near future. He also said that the Ministry has provided a list of the requirements needed for the education sector to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) director in A'zaz.
Recently, media activists have circulated video clips showing cracks, fissures, and damage in the "Countryside School" in the city of Harim, north of Idlib.
After two decisions issued by the Education Directorate in Idlib, which mandated the suspension of schools for the following two weeks after the earthquake, after then a timid return back to school attendance; fear still dominates the situation for the majority of parents regarding their children's return to school.
In addition to the current losses in the infrastructure associated with the educational sector, the cracked school buildings that could collapse in aftershocks or other earthquakes that the region may be exposed to are also a concern.
Most schools in northwestern Syria would not withstand new tremors due to the cracks and damage they have suffered from the continuous bombing by the Syrian regime and the Russian air force.
Damaged schools in areas controlled by the Syrian regime.
After the earthquake, 103 schools were transformed into shelters for earthquake victims; according to the Ministry of Education in Damascus, in both Aleppo and Latakia.
There are seven hundred damaged schools due to the earthquake, counted by the Ministry of Education in the Syrian regime government.
Ghassan Shaghry, Director of Planning and International Cooperation in the Ministry revealed that the vast majority of these schools are concentrated in Aleppo, including 15 schools out of service due to complete destruction, 453 schools with moderate damage and in need of direct intervention to reinforce them against collapse, and 232 schools with minor damage.
Shaghry also announced the number of human losses in the education sector, where 142 teachers passed away due to the earthquake; the majority (122 teachers) were in Latakia, while the rest were distributed among Aleppo and Hama provinces, in addition to more than 30 injured teachers.
The Director of Education in Latakia, Imran Abu Khalil, announced in an interview with the local newspaper "Al-Watan" that the school day in undamaged schools will resume starting at the beginning of next week, pointing out "compensating for the educational loss for students with a school day on Saturdays in safe schools, which will resume next week.
" Following Latakia's, the Education Directorate in Hama took the same action before canceling it later; Sham FM radio quoted Hama Education Directorate about starting to compensate for the educational loss on Saturdays from March 4th, 2023, keeping the school day remains as it is currently. The Directorate emphasized putting a compensatory program in place by each school's administration in coordination with its teaching staff and supervision from the Curriculum and Guidance Department.
The ministry postponed the general certificate exams start until June 7th, 2023; to end on the 26th of the same month.
The Syrian regime's Ministry of Education has not issued any statements regarding its plans to resume school attendance at schools that have been turned into shelters for those affected, or announce alternative solutions that enable students to continue their academic studies during the second semester of this year.
To discuss the response plan to compensate for the education sector, support compensatory lessons for general certificates and transitional stage, pay for the educational shortfall, and the possibility of supporting educational frameworks; the ministry held a meeting with UNICEF, UNESCO regional office in Beirut, French Islamic Relief, INTERSOS, World Food Program, International Committee of the Red Cross, and virtually attended organizations including the High Commissioner for Refugees, International First Aid, TRIANGOLO, Italian International Cooperation, United Nations for Project Services, Italian Civil Volunteers, Norwegian Refugee Council, Finnish Relief Association, and TAALOF association.
Previous Warnings
The educational situation in Syria has suffered a significant decline due to the war, with a high rate of student dropouts in various Syrian regions since 2011. In previous years, the United Nations has issued warnings about the danger facing the education sector in Syria; UNICEF confirmed that in 2021: "one of each three schools in Syria is no longer usable; either due to destruction, damage, or being used for military purposes".
These warnings included the educational leakage of students in Syria due to several factors; which include the inability of usable schools to accommodate the total number of students; because: "they mostly learn in overcrowded classrooms, in buildings that lack adequate water, sanitation, electricity, heating, or ventilation facilities".
UNICEF confirmed in its report that around seven hundred attacks had been carried out on educational facilities and crews in Syria since the beginning of the investigations into grave violations against children, including 52 attacks in 2020 alone.
Based on the report, the United Nations issued warnings that more than 1.5 million Syrian children are not enrolled in schools, including 40% of girls.
New displacements, new damage to educational facilities, and a state of fear among parents about sending their children to schools may all contribute to increasing the number of children who drop out of school.
Apart from the successive crises facing the education sector in Syria, including the cessation of support; as is the case in northwestern Syria, and the lack of suitable salaries for teachers in areas controlled by the Syrian regime, which do not exceed $25 monthly; the future of millions of students became threatened.
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