Thousands of students in rebel-held Homs suffer lack of support, aid

(Translation by Yusra Ahmed)

Nearly 25,000 students in the northern countryside of Homs city have joined schools on 13- September, 90% of them in schools  regime-controlled areas, while the rest controlled by the opposition's interim government and other charity associations. 

According to sources from families, the cost of materials needed to one school student reached this year to about 10 thousand Syrian pounds, while the country suffers of difficult living and economic conditions because of the siege by the regime for almost 4 years. 

Reporter of Zaman al-Wasl mentioned noted that prices of school stationery and bag have increased more than 50% and sometimes exceeded 100%. 

Om Hossam, expressed her surprise from the prices, as some university books cost 1,000 Syrian pounds, while a good quality school bag costs 4 thousand Syrian pounds.

The uniform is unavailable in the northern countryside for the third year, activists said. 

Om Hossam described that costs vary depending on the grade of students, the overall cost of primary school students ranges from 8-10 thousands Syrian pounds, while secondary student might cost more 13 thousand Syrian pounds: 7 Thousands for clothing and shoes 3 thousands for stationery, and the rest is the price of a school bag of acceptable quality lasts for no more than one year.

Engineer Ghassan, the owner of a stationery shop and a library in Northern countryside of Homs explained that many reasons are behind the raise of prices of schools' materials, particularly the stationery ones, the most important reason according to him is the raise in the cost of imported white paper from abroad as papers’ prices are linked to the price of the dollar which fluctuate and raised sharply. The other reason is the difficulty of transferring materials to the besieged Northern countryside.

Mr. Ghassan said that stationery prices have risen between 30%to 40% this year, while the prices of medium quality school bags have doubled and prices increased 100%, as the bag that was sold for 750 Syrian pounds last year, now it is sold for 1500 Syrian pounds. 

Abo Zuhair, a father of six children of primary school said that he paid 50 thousand Syrian pounds to prepare his children to school of clothing and bad quality bags.

The academic year this year has started in the same month of storing food, which is known as the “disaster month” because of the high spending on storing food, and before Adha Eid, all those conditions need a lot of money which increase the burden on families amid difficult conditions and unemployment which reached to 70%, the highest rate in the world. 

One a the parent talked to Zaman al-Wasl’s during its tour in a stationery markets in Kafer Laha in Houla and mentioned that the Interim Ministry of Education in the last two years in collaboration with the Aid Coordination Unit had distributed stationery and pens and school bags for 90% of students of the Northern countryside of Homs.

The father pointed out that work was incentive to students to join schools in order to get a school bag with pencils and books. Beside that it reduced the burden for the unemployed. But the father was surprised for stopping that support this year. 

Finally, it is worth mentioning that large number of children in some villages and towns of Northern Homs did not attend their schools this year, because of the destruction they had by the regime’s shelling over two years. Another reason is that many school children, 25% of them, leave schools to work in order to help their families in cost of living.