Deir Ezzor – Obadah al-Sheikh

Schools in Deir Ezzor province, eastern Syria, need reconstruction and rehabilitation, as dozens of them in the city and countryside are out of service for various reasons, including the conversion of some into military sites for the regime and Iran, as well as shelling that inflicted damage on many of them.

According to statistics obtained by Enab Baladi from the Ministry of Education in the caretaker government in Damascus, there are 63 completely destroyed schools in Deir Ezzor, and 23 other schools have been converted into military headquarters for the previous regime’s forces and Iranian militias.

23 schools require complete rehabilitation of their infrastructure due to degradation during the period of control by the previous regime and Iranian militias in the area, which lasted from the end of 2017 until the fall of the regime on December 8, 2024.

The closure of these schools has had a negative impact, leading to a dropout of several students, according to the ministry’s clarification.

Overcrowded and without books

According to teachers and administrators interviewed by Enab Baladi, the educational sector in Deir Ezzor suffers from a significant shortage of specialized teachers and educational supervisors, in addition to the lack of transportation to move teachers and supervisors to follow up on work in rural schools.

Hala al-Turki, a teacher from Deir Ezzor city, told Enab Baladi that classes that are still operational are overcrowded with students, with the number in a single class reaching up to 50 students.

She noted that most students do not have books, and teachers explain scientific subjects without educational materials, sometimes having to write the entire curriculum on the board due to the absence of books.

Teacher Suhail al-Jassem mentioned to Enab Baladi that the secondary school where he worked was closed due to bombings by regime forces in 2017, indicating that it housed around 700 students, the majority of whom are now out of school.

Al-Jassem added that the previous regime did not seek to reactivate the destroyed schools or restore the educational process after its control over the city and parts of its countryside.

He pointed out that the biggest challenge faced by teachers was the displacement of students with their families from Deir Ezzor city to areas not affected by the shelling, calling on international organizations and the interim government in Damascus to expedite and pay attention to the educational process and restore it.

Support requirements

A responsible source in the Ministry of Education (not authorized to speak to the media) said to Enab Baladi that rehabilitating the educational sector in Deir Ezzor requires the collective efforts of local communities in collaboration with international organizations supporting education.

He mentioned that these efforts should focus on rehabilitating and restoring damaged schools and providing the necessary infrastructure to ensure the sustainability of the educational process.

He considered that the reality of education in Deir Ezzor needs significant attention and sustainable strategies for its reform, especially after the damage inflicted on the sector due to the war and the neglected policies of the previous regime.

For years, the educational sector has been facing several difficulties, and there are multiple educational curricula in northeastern Syria, since the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) still controls several villages and towns in the Deir Ezzor countryside.

AANES did not recognize the curriculum imposed by the previous Syrian regime, and it previously announced a ban on teaching it in areas under its control, closing dozens of schools and institutes that teach it, while the regime rejected the recognition of the AANES curriculum.

Residents face costs to secure education for their children, from stationery and uniforms to transportation costs to schools, while these costs multiply if the family wants to register their children in private schools or tutoring institutes.