The Battle for Education: Exams Resume but Schools Continue to Come Under Attack in Idlib, Northern Syria
Published: Aug 6, 2016 Reading time: 2 minutes Share: Share an articleAfter postponing exams in Idlib for one week due to the deterioration of the security situation and multiple attacks against education facilities, exams resumed on the 28th of July. On the 30th July, the Education Directorate in Idlib announced that all exams had been completed and exam papers had been sorted and transported in metal boxes to safer locations, where they believe they will be less likely to be damaged or destroyed. On this very same day, one which the Education Directorate had marked ‘a victory in the battle of life’, the war nevertheless continued to wage around them as nearby villages came under attack by cluster bombs.
Sarmada was one such village attacked by cluster bombs on the 30th July. One of the bombs hit a family house opposite Al-Mahaba School, a PIN-supported school. The home was razed to the ground and the impact of the bomb was felt far beyond where is fell. Large damages were caused to the school building, as windows, doors and furniture were ripped from their hinges. Thankfully, there were no students or teachers present at the school as summer holidays are currently underway. It is through the generous support of the European Commission (EC) that PIN has been supporting this school in Sarmada by providingstaff incentives; school rehabilitation and furniture; school operational costs; teacher training; teaching and learning materials; first aid training and kits; and access to psychosocial support activities. PIN works closely with education authorities and local communities to support 20 individual community-led schools across Aleppo and Idlib governorates. This academic year, PIN supports 465 teaching staff and a total of 3535 female students and 3686 male students in these 20 schools. It is with the generous support of the European Commission (EC) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) that this educational assistance is provided in these trying conditions.
Just a few days after the attack which impacted Al-Mahaba school, tens of airstrikes hit Idlib city and countryside, impacting Baidoun School in Sarmin, a town east of Idlib city. One teacher and one young student were killed in this attack.
This is the reality that students and teachers face in their battle for education in Syria. Education, and the young generations who have witnessed friends, classmates and neighbours drop out or die in its pursuit, have paid an incredibly heavy price in the conflict which continues unabated.
