New School Year Begins in Syria amid Stifling Crises

 Boys swimming in a pool in Idlib governorate on Friday, while students in the regime-controlled areas prepare to return to schools this Sunday. (DPA)
Boys swimming in a pool in Idlib governorate on Friday, while students in the regime-controlled areas prepare to return to schools this Sunday. (DPA)
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New School Year Begins in Syria amid Stifling Crises

 Boys swimming in a pool in Idlib governorate on Friday, while students in the regime-controlled areas prepare to return to schools this Sunday. (DPA)
Boys swimming in a pool in Idlib governorate on Friday, while students in the regime-controlled areas prepare to return to schools this Sunday. (DPA)

On the first day of the new school year this Sunday, more than 3.65 million students from various educational levels will attend 13,660 schools and institutes in the areas controlled by the Syrian regime, according to a statement by the Ministry of Education.

The academic year begins amid a significant deterioration in the economic, living and political conditions, and sharp divisions in the country, as large parts of Syrian territories are under the influence of groups and factions that refuse to implement the educational curriculum approved by the government in Damascus.

In a statement, Minister of Education Darem Tabbaa pointed to the presence of 2,332 kindergartens, accommodating around 133,000 boys and girls, in addition to 9,147 elementary schools, with 3.35 million pupils, and 1,629 secondary schools, with 371,000 students. The country’s vocational secondary schools amount to 479, accommodating around 83,000 students.

According to the minister, there are 8,733 non-operational school buildings, of which 457 are completely damaged.

In his statement to local media, Tabbaa promised to work on rehabilitating 400 school buildings in 2023 in order to reduce class overcrowding and the burden of access to schools.

The Ministry of Education is seeking the assistance of NGOs and associations to rebuild war-stricken educational institutions. Earlier this month, the ministry signed 12 MOUs with a number of associations for the rehabilitation and maintenance of damaged schools and the provision of school equipment and educational supplies, in addition to family support programs and psychological and social assistance for students.

The families of students in Syria suffer from stifling financial pressure, as each student needs a minimum of SYP100,000 ($20) to secure uniforms, stationery and books, while the average monthly salary for public workers does not exceed $35 and $70 for private sector employees.

According to United Nations reports, more than 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line, while the unemployment rate increased from 8 percent in 2011 to 56 percent in 2013.

While the government in Damascus adopts a specific educational curriculum, large areas of the country outside the regime control use different programs, perpetuating the division of Syria into spheres of influence.

The Syrian government refuses to recognize the curricula of the Autonomous Administration, which was established in mid-2016.

In the Kurdish “self-administration” areas in northeastern Syria, a dual educational curriculum is adopted for teaching within the areas of Kurdish influence in the northern provinces, where the first school semester kicks off on September 18.

The government educational curriculum is not applied in the areas controlled by the Turkish-backed opposition factions in northwestern Syria.



Demarcating the Lebanese–Syrian Border Tops Agenda of Trump’s Envoy in Beirut

Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 
Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 
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Demarcating the Lebanese–Syrian Border Tops Agenda of Trump’s Envoy in Beirut

Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 
Talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US envoy Thomas Barrack two weeks ago in Beirut (AP). 

US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria, is prioritizing the demarcation of the Lebanese–Syrian border during his meetings in Beirut this week with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Army leadership.

The border issue is expected to feature prominently in Lebanon’s response to proposals Barrack presented, as he considers it essential for establishing a mechanism to implement the ceasefire agreement with Israel and asserting Lebanese sovereignty under UN Resolution 1701.

According to Lebanese ministerial sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Arabia recently hosted a Lebanese–Syrian meeting that defused tensions and ended clashes across the overlapping areas between the two countries in northern Bekaa. Riyadh’s mediation created a favorable climate to advance border demarcation along the roughly 375-kilometer frontier from north to east.

Saudi sponsorship of this process, along with measures by the joint Lebanese–Syrian committee to prevent further clashes, strengthened Washington’s interest in supporting these efforts. Much of the violence has stemmed from rival smuggling networks once protected by the former Syrian regime and used for trafficking Captagon into Lebanon and beyond.

Calls to demarcate the border date back to the National Dialogue Committee’s first session in 2006, convened by Berri. At Hezbollah’s request, the term “demarcation” was replaced with “delineation,” arguing it was more appropriate for relations between “brotherly nations.” Nevertheless, the issue remained unresolved as Syria refused to engage in formal negotiations, especially before the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, when Damascus consistently blocked references to completing the Taif Agreement or withdrawing Syrian troops from Beirut.

Later attempts during Saad Hariri’s premiership under President Michel Sleiman also stalled when President Bashar al-Assad declined to cooperate, citing other priorities. Illegal crossings continued to proliferate, justified as necessary for Hezbollah’s movement to avoid Israeli monitoring and to maintain unregulated “military routes” for arms smuggling.

Sources revealed that in a Damascus meeting co-chaired by Hariri and Assad, Lebanon requested not only border demarcation but also a review of bilateral agreements under the Treaty of Brotherhood to address their pro-Syrian bias. While the status of the occupied Shebaa Farms was briefly raised, it was withdrawn to avoid jeopardizing talks. Though an agreement was reached to start demarcation from the northern border, Syrian officials later backed out, citing preoccupation with the Jordanian border.

Lebanon has since prepared a detailed file with maps and coordinates, ready to support renewed negotiations under President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Officials believe the time is now ripe to demarcate the border and end agreements that once facilitated Syria’s dominance over Lebanon.