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Kurdish Authorities Delay Start of Academic Year over Virus Outbreak

A school in Washukanni camp in northeast Syria’s Hasakeh province in February 2020. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A school in Washukanni camp in northeast Syria’s Hasakeh province in February 2020. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Kurdish Authorities Delay Start of Academic Year over Virus Outbreak

A school in Washukanni camp in northeast Syria’s Hasakeh province in February 2020. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A school in Washukanni camp in northeast Syria’s Hasakeh province in February 2020. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), or Rojava, has decided to postpone the reopening of schools in areas it runs until October 4 instead of early September due to the increased number of coronavirus infections there.

Infections in regions east of the Euphrates River have reached 527, including 34 deaths and 88 recoveries.

The postponement decision was taken in coordination with the Administration’s Education Authority, Health Authority and Executive Council, said the NES’s education authority chief Rajab al-Musharraf.

He said authorities were studying options to resume the academic year even as the pandemic persists.

Musharraf said efforts are ongoing with concerned committees to provide schools and educational institutions with personal hygiene supplies, including soap, sanitizers and paper tissues in toilets.

Areas east of the Euphrates are suffering from a severe shortage of health and medical supplies following a Russian-Chinese veto earlier this year, which suspended aid through al-Yarubiyah border crossing with Iraq and posed a double threat with the coronavirus outbreak.

International and local humanitarian organizations and Kurdish officials have warned local authorities may not be able to contain the outbreak.

The Autonomous Administration has instructed municipalities to disinfect the 2,225 schools and educational institutions ahead of the school year to preserve the safety of students and teaching staff.

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Guterres Calls for Holding to Account Those Responsible for Violence in Syria 

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations speaks at the UN Commemoration event of the International Women’s Day at the UN General Assembly Hall March 7, 2025 in New York. (AFP) 
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations speaks at the UN Commemoration event of the International Women’s Day at the UN General Assembly Hall March 7, 2025 in New York. (AFP) 
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Guterres Calls for Holding to Account Those Responsible for Violence in Syria 

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations speaks at the UN Commemoration event of the International Women’s Day at the UN General Assembly Hall March 7, 2025 in New York. (AFP) 
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations speaks at the UN Commemoration event of the International Women’s Day at the UN General Assembly Hall March 7, 2025 in New York. (AFP) 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that the future of Syrians is threatened by the recent events that have seen hundreds of people killed in the country’s coastal region.

He called for an end to the violence and a credible, independent, impartial investigation of violations to ensure accountability.

His announcement came as Syria marks 14 years since peaceful protests were met with brutal repression by the former regime of Bashar al-Assad, igniting a conflict that has displaced millions and left the country in ruins.

“What began as a call for peaceful change turned into one of the world’s most devastating conflicts, with an incalculable human cost,” the UN chief said.

He noted that millions were displaced and subjected to unimaginable hardship and hundreds of thousands were killed, disappeared, tortured and died horrific deaths.

The war, he continued, saw the use of chemical weapons, and barrel bombs indiscriminately killing men, women and children.

Also, prolonged sieges starved entire populations, turning food and medicine into weapons of war, Guterres remarked, adding that the carpet bombing of hospitals, schools and homes erased any semblance of normal life.

Yet, the Syrian people never wavered in their steadfast and courageous calls for freedom, dignity and a just future, he stressed.

Since December 8, 2024, there is renewed hope that Syrians can chart a different course and the chance to rebuild, reconcile and create a nation where all can live peacefully and in dignity, he said.

However, Guterres said, this much-deserved brighter future hangs in the balance.

“Nothing can justify the killing of civilians, as has been reported in recent days. All violence must stop, and there must be a credible, independent, impartial investigation of violations and those responsible must be held accountable,” he noted.

Guterres then recalled that the caretaker authorities have repeatedly committed to building a new Syria based on inclusive and credible foundations for all Syrians.

“Now is the time for action. Bold and decisive measures are urgently needed to ensure that every Syrian — regardless of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation or gender — can live in safety, dignity and without fear,” he said.

He affirmed that the UN stands ready to work alongside the Syrian people and support an inclusive political transition that ensures accountability, fosters national healing and lays the foundation for Syria’s long-term recovery and reintegration into the international community.

“We stand with the Syrian people towards the promise of a better Syria — for all Syrians. Together, we must ensure that Syria emerges from the shadows of war into a future defined by dignity and the rule of law — where all voices are heard, and no community is left behind,” Guterres stressed.