HTS confiscates exams cards for those wishing to enter Syrian government-held areas

IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The town of Muhambal’s police station in Ariha, in the south countryside of Idlib, arrested three students who were trying to enter Syrian government areas to take their secondary examinations on Friday

Turkish-backed armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked and insulted the students, punished them, and confiscated their exam cards after their attempts.

HTS in Idlib continues to prevent students from entering Hama, which is a Syrian government-held governorate, to sit their basic and secondary education exams.

The Ministry of Education of the Syrian Salvation Government said last Thursday to local sites that "We will not recognize certificates issued by the Syrian government's Ministry of Education, and the bearer cannot complete his studies in the liberated areas," threatening to take deterrent measures in the educational field against those who send their children.

On the 14th of this month, the Syrian government opened a crossing in Saraqeb town in the east of Idlib, allowing basic and secondary students to sit their exams in the schools of Hama.

Dozens of Idlib students gathered on Wednesday to travel to Hama city, but HTS prevented them and forced them to return after threatening to arrest the drivers and confiscate their vehicles.

The Syrian Salvation Government is a self-declared interim government affiliated with the armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) based in the Idlib governorate. It is not recognized by the Turkish-based Syrian Interim Government.

 (Reporting by Razan Sayyed from Idlib)