The educational sector in northwestern Syria is grappling with severe challenges related to both personnel and infrastructure. Public schools are plagued by ongoing crises, including shortages of supplies, reduced support, a lack of fuel for heating, insufficient textbooks, and unpaid teachers’ salaries.
Each new academic year brings renewed struggles, despite efforts by both responsible authorities and civil society organizations to revitalize education. However, these initiatives often fall short of meeting the extensive needs of the sector.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, school students in Syria began their classes across various areas of control, with classes in Idlib—under the administration of the Salvation government—starting on September 28.
A dilapidated sector under bombardment
On the International Day to Protect Education from Attacks, September 9, the White Helmets reported that 170 schools have been targeted by the regime and Russia over the past five years. Schools have long been a focal point of these attacks.
In 2024, a decline in support has impacted 700 schools in Idlib, leaving them without essential resources, while 100 schools lost support by July, affecting approximately 110,000 students and 6,500 teachers, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Syria Response Coordinators in the region noted that more than 891 schools have been rendered non-operational over the past three years, including 266 educational facilities in northwestern Syria, due to attacks by the regime and Russia. Additionally, over 77 schools in the region are being used for non-educational purposes.
OCHA’s report from October 2023 highlights that military escalation in northwestern Syria has severely hampered access to education services. Of the 2.2 million school-age children in the region, at least one million are out of school, with particularly dire conditions in displacement camps.
Project to address learning difficulties
Among the various initiatives, the Ataa Association for Humanitarian Relief has launched a student support unit in northern Syria, completing 180 training days to qualify 1,053 teachers across more than 150 schools in Idlib and rural Aleppo.
According to the association’s statement to Enab Baladi, they established 21 centers in these areas to address the academic and developmental challenges faced by 1,757 students in the initial phase, with plans to expand these centers to reach a larger student population in the future.
Ibrahim Naddaf, director of the learning difficulties treatment unit at Ataa Association, explained that teachers received training on using guides to address learning difficulties. This training equips them to support students in need effectively.
Naddaf added that the Central Student Support Unit remains available to provide advice and technical assistance to teachers in northern Syria, covering both academic and psychological aspects related to the project.
He emphasized that the treatment centers currently in operation are temporary, designed for specific activities, and have fulfilled their intended purpose. The ultimate goal of the project is to empower teachers to support students with difficulties within the classroom during regular school hours, rather than isolating them in separate centers.
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.
