One third of Idlib schools are out of service as thousands of students drop out

Military operations in the de-escalation zones, along with the displacement of civilians, have destroyed the infrastructure and vital facilities such as hospitals, medical centers and schools.

Almost one third of schools in the governorate of Idlib have been out of service, either destroyed by bombardment or seized by the Syrian government forces within the re-controlled areas of southern Idlib and northern Hama. In addition, other schools have been transformed into a shelter for IDPs, who escaped the ongoing shelling on their areas.

North-Press met with Mustafa Abu al-Nour, the director of Information Department of the Free Education Directorate in Idlib, who spoke about the numbers and percentages of the destroyed schools.

According to Abu al-Nour, the number of schools located in the opposition-held areas in Idlib governorate was 1,190 schools, according to the final statistics of last year, and it contained about 680 thousand students of all grades.

He added that, “280 thousand students out of 399 thousand students have dropped out of schools”, where the number of dropouts this year has significantly increased.

The increased number of dropouts is due to the military campaign which is launched by the Russian-allied Syrian governmental forces, to extend its control over large areas of the northern countryside of Hama and the southern countryside of Idlib.

Abu al-Nour said that the Syrian army “has occupied about 100 schools, while aerial and ground bombardment have partially destroyed about 100 other schools, and 60 schools completely, as well as shutting down about 40 schools due to ongoing shelling on the de-escalation zones, southern Idlib”.

In addition, “nearly 50 schools are resided by IDPs, making up one-third of Idlib’s schools, which the Syrian government and its allies have disrupted their work in receiving students”, Mustafa Abu al-Nour said.

Abu al-Nour, the director of Information Department in Idlib said that the war also caused the migration of large numbers of students from areas controlled by Syrian government forces and areas that are under daily bombardment within the de-escalation zones.