After years of brutal conflict, Syria's education system remains one of the most visibly scarred sectors of the nation's recovery. Across war-torn cities like Idlib and Aleppo, children are returning to classrooms that bear the marks of destruction — shattered windows, missing doors, and bare walls that once echoed with laughter and learning.Teachers such as Abdullah Hallak describe classrooms stripped to their core, where students sit on cold concrete floors, often using old blankets as mats. Many schools were looted or destroyed during battles, leaving both children and educators with minimal supplies to restart lessons. Yet, despite overwhelming hardship, their determination to continue learning reflects the unbroken spirit of Syrian communities.
According to Deputy Education Minister Youssef Annan, nearly 40 percent of Syria's schools remain in ruins. Only a small portion of damaged buildings have been rehabilitated, forcing students into overcrowded or improvised learning centers. While around four million children are now back in school, up to three million others remain out of education, according to UNICEF.
Meritxell Relano Arana, UNICEF's representative in Syria, emphasized that rebuilding education is vital to national healing. The agency is focusing on rehabilitating schools, providing teacher training, and delivering psychosocial support to help children recover from years of trauma and displacement.
Families like that of Safiya Al-Jurok, who recently returned after years of exile, see education as a symbol of hope and resilience. Even amid poverty and destruction, parents are striving to keep their children in school — believing that knowledge is the only lasting tool for rebuilding their future.
Though the path to full recovery remains long, each reopened classroom in Syria stands as a quiet declaration that learning, hope, and faith will outlast war's devastation.
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