Raqqa schools require $4M annually for rehabilitation
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Schools in Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria, require an annual investment budget of $4 million to restore educational services, a Raqqa Civil Council official told North Press on Wednesday.
The city, devastated during the 2017 battles to expel ISIS militants, still has 25 schools completely destroyed and 200 requiring partial repairs, according to Zuleikha Abdi, Co-Chair of Raqqa’s Education Committee, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Speaking at the inauguration of the “Martyr Abdullah Hassan” School, rebuilt in six months, Abdi revealed that the current annual funding of $1.5 million from the AANES is insufficient to meet the $4 million needed to rehabilitate all schools and maintain smooth educational operations.
The proposed $4 million budget over a decade would cover infrastructure, classroom supplies such as boards and desks, and textbook printing but excludes teachers’ salaries.
Currently, 500 schools operate across Raqqa, with makeshift schools in remote areas using rented homes and tents to ensure education access.
The newly inaugurated school has three floors, 31 classrooms, and a capacity for 1,000 students.