ALEPPO NORTHERN COUNTRYSIDE, Syria (North Press) – Ali Sheikh Ahmed, an IDP student of Afrin area north of Aleppo, north Syria, is in the seveneth grade. He carries his school bag with several notebooks, each one is specialized for particular subject. As soon as he enters his classroom, he puts the bag on the desk.
Not having textbooks, Sheikh Ahmed, like his collegues, writes down whatever the teachers write on the board. There is no time for him to discuss the content with his teachers as the wiritng process may take a whole lesson time.
For four successive years, Sheikh Ahmed has been deprived of school books the same like all the other displaced students of Afrin who live in Aleppo northern countryside.
Consequently, he is forced to buy more notebooks to substitute for textbooks.
But, it seems that his family is unable to afford school supplies for him. He complained to North Press about the high prices of notebooks and pens.
“After dispplacement, it became difficult to buy all things we need,” he said.
Following the Turkish invasion of Afrın in 2018, about 300,000 people were displaced to Aleppo northern countryside, according to the statistics by the Autonomous Administartion of Afrin Region.
Part of the IDPs took the camps of Barkhodan, al-Awda, Afrin, Shahba and Sardam as shelters. Others were distributed in 42 villages and towns in the Aleppo northern countryside.
Sheikh Ahmed and his family live in a village in Aleppo northern countryside that is five km from al-Ahdath school in the next door village since there is no elementary schools in the place where he lives.
Al-Ahdath village still has traces of the intense battles that took place in Aleppo northern countryside between the Syrian government forces and the opposition factions.
Difficulties represented not only in textbooks
Afrin IDP students in Aleppo northern countryside are still without books as all attempts by the Education Directorate of Afrin Region, currently functioning in Aleppo northern countryside, to introduce shool curricula have failed.
Syrian goivernment checkpoints near Manbij deny the crossing of the curriculum adopeted by the Autonomous Administartion, desks, boards, illustrative methods and all school supplies to reach the areas where Afrin IDPs live.
Aleppo northern countryside and villages in Sherawa district, south of Afrin, are not controlled by the Turkish forces.
70 primary, elementary and secondary schools exist in these areas with the Education Directorate of Afrin Region supervises them.
Approximately 16,000 students attend the schools and there are 950 teachers, according to the Education Directorate.
Valentina Walo, an Arabic teacher in al-Ahdath school, said lack of books increases teachers’ suffering.
The teachers are obliged to write the whole lesson on the board for the students and this affects the students’ understanding, according to Walo.
“Our suffering is not limited to the lack of textbooks, but also the shortage of illustrative methods and school supplies,” Fadel Jawish, deputy of the Education Directorate of Afrin Region, said.
Teacher are compelled to draw on the board to convey the information to the students because there are no maps or pre-painted photos, Jawish noted.
Bombardment suspends education process
The repeated Turkish shelling of Aleppo northern countryside and the students’ fears of being targeted all have an impact on the students psychological status, specially that they have experienced the Turkish shelling for 58 days.
In early December 2019, the Turkish forces and Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition factions targeted Tel Rif’at city where ten people, including children, were killed and eight others were injured.
On February 6, the Education Directorate declared suspension of education in some schools as concerns on students’ lives mounted follwiong the Turkish shelling on a school in Qaramel village.
On February 3, the Turkish forces and Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition factions shelled Qaramel village casuing huge damage to the primary school building. No casulties were reported as the shelling took place at a time when school had finished.
In a statement, the Education Directorate accused the international powers and the United Nations of ignoring the indiscriminating Turkish shelling on Shahba area.
“Shahba” is a term used by the Autonomous Administration for areas in Aleppo northern countryside where Afrin displaced people are residing. The Autonomous Administration runs the educational process there.
Some points by the Syrian government and the Russian forces are present in the areas.
Jawish pointed out that the indicriminating shelling by the Turkish forces and Turkish-backed opposition factions has a significant impact on the educational process. “Students do not go to school during the time of the shelling.”