How did the students of Afrin and Shahba go through a year of displacement?

JAFAR JAFO, GANDI ALO/ SHAHBA

The Afrin canton was subjected to barbaric aggression and heavy shelling, in which all the advanced weapons and aircrafts were used by the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries, which began attacks on 20 January 2018. As a result, 68 schools out of 318 schools in Afrin were destroyed, 30 students and two teachers were martyred and dozens of students and teachers were injured.

On January 27 last year, the Education Committee of the Democratic Society in Afrin canton issued a decision to close all schools until the attacks stop in order to preserve the lives of students and teaching staff.

After nearly two months of attacks and intense shelling on Afrin and targeting civilians, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave Afrin and headed towards Shahba to continue their resistance against the occupiers there in all its forms.

In al-Shahba canton, where Afrin residents lived in the camps, villages and neighborhoods, the Education Committee reorganized and reopened the schools and returned students to the study. As a continuation of the first semester that ended in Afrin before the attacks, schools in Shahba were opened despite the lack of possibilities, and worked according to the possibilities available in June of last year to rehabilitate some schools and open others and within two months, the process of study under the conditions of displacement and semi-destroyed buildings and schools.

In the summer of last year, hundreds of teachers of the Education Committee of the democratic community joined the two-month courses in preparation for the new academic year.

The school has reopened its doors to more than 13,500 students in the three elementary, preparatory and secondary schools within 64 schools distributed in Shahba and Şêrawa districts of Afrin canton.

Despite the difficulty of securing stationery for students, the Education Committee of the Democratic Society in Afrin made great efforts and was able to secure quantities of stationery to students in an effort to reduce the financial costs to the students in the midst of the situation they live as a result of forced displacement from Afrin.

Many of the schools lacked classrooms. The Education Committee of the Democratic Society provided desks for the students. The study process proceeded successfully without stopping at those obstacles. Despite the state of war in general and the instability of the region and the bombing of the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation army to Shahba canton from time to time

"The attacks of the Turkish occupation on Afrin, in addition to the goal of annihilating the Kurdish people, have also sought to destroy the Kurdish culture and language. In response, we decided as the Education Committee of the Democratic Society to continue the resistance at the level of education and organized ourselves," Zahida Mamo spokesperson of the Democratic Society said. “Students returned to schools, and the first was to open the schools under the tents and the students were responsive to us through their will and determination to continue their education, and in this responsible spirit and willpower we were able to complete the Afrin students' course. "

J.O

ANHA