Kobani… Despite Turkish occupation's brutal attacks; educational sector continues

The Turkish aggression against areas of NE, Syria reflected negatively on the progress of the educational process in the border areas, but educational institutions in the region did their utmost to restore the damage caused by the aggression, as most schools returned to receive students, but difficulties and suffering in many aspects are still present.

Perhaps the most prominent of these repercussions, dozens of border schools closed their doors in the villages for fear of being attacked by the Turkish border guards, as many schools in the western and eastern countryside of Kobani are still closed as a result of this.

As winter season has come, it also put the administrators supervising the educational services in front of new challenges, represented by the weakness of the readiness of many schools to receive this season.

However, despite all the developments that rocked the region, the institutions overseeing the education sector in the region have opened schools for students to visit, and the educational process is proceeding "well", as assessed by those responsible for its progress.

Khaled Jarada, a member of the General Administration of Schools in the Euphrates region, says that the recent tensions have caused many defects and shortcomings in the field of the educational sector.

"There are still dozens of schools closed because of the proximity of the Turkish border, due to the threat posed by the Turkish army by targeting citizens, in addition to the schools that were bombed, and other schools were closed due to the entry of mercenaries loyal to Turkey to it."

Here, Khaled Jaradah means the schools that are located in Serêkaniyê

/ Ras Al-Ain and Girê Spî/ Tal Abyad areas that Turkey and its mercenaries recently occupied, as in this educational process they stopped what prevented thousands of students from attending schools.

In the village of Kharab Khal, there is one room that receives the students but is almost completely ill-equipped, as its roof leaks water if it rains, and its doors and windows are not closed.

However, many villages lack the basic presence of schools, which is an old problem that is being renewed in the area, and which is burdening the administration of the educational corps.

In this context, Zahraa Jalal, one of the mothers in the village of Qerarîşk south of Kobani, said: The village does not have a school and they have raised many complaints, but they have not yet found results.

She explained that the children of the village go to the village of Îtwêran, which is far away approximately 4 kilometers from the village of Qerarîşk, and their number reaches approximately 60 students.

With regard to schools that need maintenance, Khaled Jarradah says: The General Administration of Schools has formed a committee that specializes in maintenance matters, and soon these problems will be avoided until the educational situation returns to its previous time before the Turkish invasion.

It should be noted that the educational process in NE, Syria began on the 15th of last September, when the Education Body in the Euphrates region opened 478 schools in Kobani and 426 schools in Tel Abyad for the students to visit.

But after the start of the Turkish aggression on the region since last October 9, the educational process in the region stopped, as Turkey occupied Tel Abyad district, which resulted to the closure of schools there.

The Education Body says: 16 schools were affected by the Turkish aggression on Tel Abyad.

Schools stopped receiving students in Kobani for 25 days, before returning to open their doors again after the announcement of the ceasefire, while 42 schools were not opened in Kobani, because the displaced people live in some, while some schools are located near the border, where people fear send their children to school for fear that Turkey will target them.

Before the start of the Turkish aggression, the Education Body counted 56,800 students who went to schools in Kobani canton, and the number of teachers reached 2,628.

As the Education Body says: Two of its teachers were martyred in Tal Abyad during the Turkish aggression against it, namely, Muhammad Durei and Rabia Ismail.

T/S

ANHA