(Eqtsad)- Ahmad, a pupil in the sixth grade, goes to his school every morning, but he returns home an hour later. When he is asked why he returned, he always says, “there are no teachers.” Ahmad’s was confirmed true by Ahed, pupil in the same grade but in a different school. Ahed and Ahmad are one sample of the pupils in many areas in liberated regions in Daraa province.
Abu Firas, a retired teacher, says, “despite the fact that two months and a half passed in the school year, the educational process has not been organized yet. This is due to shortages in the requirements of the education process especially the shortage in education staff and school books.”
He added that most schools under regime control in the liberated regions in Daraa province suffer extreme shortage in education staff because the regime arrested a huge number of them in the past five years. Also, migration to neighboring countries played a role since some of the staff were tracked down by security. In addition, many teachers moved to regime-controlled areas to avoid passing checkpoints fearing to be arrested especially that the end of every month is a nightmare for all employees in Daraa province who get their salaries from the center in Daraa city.
This makes a huge opportunity for security apparatuses to arrest new numbers of state employees who are accused of new charges accordıng to security reports.
On his part, Ghasan, a former math teacher who was sacked recently, says, “during the past five years of the Syrian revolution, I was doing my work without any problems. Every month, I would go to city of Daraa to get my salary without being stopped by anyone. In June last year, I was arrested on one of the checkpoints in Daraa city and during interrogation at the Military Security branch, I was charged with doing media work for one of the opposition brigades even though I do not know anything about media. Based on this charge, I was detained for more than 6 months and later released after paying huge sum of money to one of the officers. My family had to sell everything I owned to release me.”
He added, “I was released and my family who are six people did not have the money to buy bread. I started working from zero. I sold Diezel and other products. I tutored some well-off students.” He pointed out that most schools in his area need math teachers and despite that no one cares for what students need or care about their future.
On the other hand, Mohamed, a principle of a school subordinate to National Coalition, confirmed that government schools as well as coalition schools suffer great shortage in staff like English, Arabic, math and physics teachers. He indicated that coalition schools employ unıversity students from different fields to not waste opportunity for education. The university students give classes for free to help pupils who are behind in schooling in different school stages due to war circumstances.
He added, “the situation in government schools is not any better. Despite all the time which passed in the school year, there is still great shortage in education staff and might continue until the end of the school year.” He pointed out that regime institutions in the recent years have been intentionally marginalizing education in areas outside regime control and refuse to offer any help or equipment udner pretext these areas are controlled by terrorist groups which use to what regime offers for their own agedas.
Mohamed added the regime behavoir in dealing with schools under opposition-controlled areas is obvious. İt is manifested in stopping the delivery of any equipment including school books in addition to heating and financial aid to restore schools. All the schools in opposition-controlled areas are deprived of those things and since years under lame pretexts.
On his part, Nawras, an English teacher sacked after hsi arrest, confirmed that, “regime authorities try to finish off the generation by distancing them from education through withdrawing of resources and holding rebels responsible for that.”
He indicated that regime is using a systematic policy by deliberate bombing on schools and not restoring those which can be used in addition to sacking educational staff and arresting them. All this comes while there is a complete disability of civil society organizations and international organization to offer any material help for schools and pupils. This if we are to omit the few exceptions here and there which are usually not enough to cover a small part of students and schools’ needs.
Abu Qays, a father of three in secondary school, says, “I feel a lot of regret because I did not leave Syria when I could.”
He added, “I expected the crisis will be over soon, but it does not seem like it.” He pointed out the years are passing quickly and his sons’ future is being lost in front of his eyes without being able to do anything.
He said, “because I was tracked down by security apparatus, I cannot send my kids to regime areas to do their exams in regime-controlled schools which forced me to send them to coalition schools which does not seem to have any future.”
He indicated that, “the regime is trying to make people stop sending their children to get an education by the great pressure its putting on people either by the continuous bombing on schools or by tracking down all people in liberated areas.” He pointed out that thousands of children left their school and preferred to work because of the ambiguous future and the need for money to live.
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