Four years into a crisis that has taken a grim toll on almost all sectors including the education system, Syria’s teachers continue to brave tough odds, assuming extra burdens spawned by extraordinary circumstances.
In a statement by Education Minister Hazwan al-Waz, bleak figures illustrate loss of life and establishments that the educational sector has suffered. Almost 850 educational workers and students have lost their lives with as many as 5,000 schools destroyed or out of service.
On the eve of the Arab Teachers Day, Syria’s teachers told SANA their determination to rise up to the challenges undeterred by the enormity of the task.
“Terrorists seek to bring the educational process to a standstill…This will never happen, no matter what,” said Bashar Salameh, a teacher.
Seconding his remarks, Nada al-Sayyad, an English language teacher, says Syria’s teachers won’t be cowed into submission by the will of terrorists, hoping that the unbreakable ties binding Syrians will be further enhanced for them to overcome the crisis.
A statement by the Teachers Syndicate said the occasion carries the noble values of devotion, sacrifice and perseverance, while calling for efforts to dislodge a close-minded mentality and encourage national progressive ideologies.
With all indications suggesting that terrorists are intent on pressing ahead with stopping the educational process in Syria, teachers are determined in their resolve to fight back. History has demonstrated, however, that enlightenment had always triumphed over dark forces in the battle of wills.
