Raqqa Schools Lack Resources
Al-Raqqa – North-Press Agency
“The mines were planted in the schools by Islamic State members, days later some refugees came to live there, a mine exploded and some refugees were killed, the school was completely destroyed.” Ahmad Al-Mustafa, 39 years, from the village of Maysaloun, 15 km western Al-Raqqa, described briefly the situation of most of the destroyed schools during the fierce battles against ISIS in Raqqa and its countryside.
Al-Mustafa added that the school was a two-story building, and had more than 400 students from the first to sixth grade, in addition to 20 teachers.
“My children are being educated in the old school and the extension unit, which was turned into a school, but the capacity of the unit’s building is not enough to accommodate a large number of the students,” said Al-Mustafa, a father of school-aged five children.
He also pointed out that the Education Committee is working on the restoration and painting, without caring for the destroyed schools.
The village of “Royan”, 35 km northern Raqqa, is not different from the village of Maysaloun, the village school, which had about 150 students and seven teachers, was completely destroyed during the battles.
“None of the organizations have come to solve the problem of the school but only a demining organization,” said Abdullah al-Taha, 44 years, a resident of the village.
Al-Taha explained that their children go to study at the extension unit, while the Education Committee didn’t help to rebuild the school.
When al-Taha was asked about community initiatives to contribute to building schools, he explained that the process of building the school costs a lot of money, and people of the village cannot afford that.
Ahmad al-Jumma’a, a 36-year-old resident of “Royan” village, said that the village, in addition to some other neighboring villages, such as Kabsh Wasati and Al-Zahira are “Forgotten villages that remained inaccessible to assistance”.
Ali Saleh, a member of the schools’ administration at the education committee of the Civil Council in Raqqa, says that the work of the committee is currently limited to the restoration of schools, not the destroyed ones, by installing doors, windows, and painting works.
As for the limited work of the Education Committee, Muhammad Al-Hamla, head of schools’ administration in Raqqa said that when they finish working in repairments, painting, and installation of doors and windows, the committee will start to rebuild the destroyed schools.
While the destroyed schools in the governorate had reached 74, according to the Education Committee of Raqqa Civil Council.