On Thursday, education directorates in Syrian opposition-controlled areas of rural Aleppo revealed their intention to increase the salaries of teachers.
After a meeting in Azaz city, the education directorates added that teachers have ended all forms of education strikes, through which they had demanded increased salaries.
“As a result of the economic problems facing the world, our region has been enduring high prices. Nevertheless, in coordination with local councils and after drafting reports on the living conditions — which were sent to the relevant stakeholders — it has been decided that additional support will be provided for teachers’ wages from January 1st, 2022,” the statement said.
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The statement added that education is a basic human right for everyone, which should not be restricted in any way. Legal action will be taken against anyone who closes educational centers, prevents their opening, or skips work without any excuse.
The statement noted that it does not accept the formation of any educational structure without the councils’ approval. The councils will continue to support and develop the educational process, and these decisions will be considered in force from the relevant date.
According to a Directorate of Education source, the salary increase will be 40 percent and apply to all workers in the education sector.
Teachers in the northern and eastern Aleppo countryside organized protests because of their low wages, with a teacher’s monthly salary amounting to 750 Turkish liras, equivalent to US$60.
The main donor to teachers’ salaries is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which provides a salary of US$150. The contract was signed in 2017 for a duration of five years, to be administered through the Turkish Ministry of Education.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
