25 Schools affected by Earthquake in Aleppo countryside
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Thousands of students in the northern countryside of Aleppo, are not receiving any education due to school shutdown following earthquake damage, an official in the education sector said on Wednesday.
The northern countryside of Aleppo Governorate, also known as Shahba region, houses IDPs of the Kurdish city of Afrin which was occupied in 2018 by Turkey following a military operation called “Olive Branch” to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting Turkey’s “national security”.
The operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 40 villages and five camps in Shahba region since then.
There are about 16.000 displaced families from Afrin distributed over 42 villages and towns in Shahba region, in addition to 1.870 families, comprising 7.500 individuals, now living in the camps of Barkhodan, Sardam, Afrin, al-Awda, and Shahba, according to the Social Affairs and Labor Board of the Afrin region, currently operating in Aleppo northern countryside.
Subhi Ahmad, co-chair of the Education Board in Shaba region, told North Press that 17 schools sustained cracks in their walls, whereas eight schools are deemed completely unsafe for use and need full maintenance.
Shahba region includes many communities including Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmens. It is run by a local administration established by the region’s communities.
He indicated that the cost of maintenance of all schools is estimated at 60 million SYP (about $8.700) without determining a date for the resumption of the education process in that region.