Education Directorate seeks evacuation of 17 schools in Qamishlo

There are still 17 schools in Qamishlo, in the Jazira region, housing displaced people from al-Shahba who were displaced between 2013 and 2018, as well as those displaced during the latest wave in 2024 following attacks by Turkish-backed factions on the al-Shahba region in the Aleppo countryside.

On August 16, the Education Directorate in al-Hasakah Governorate called for the schools to be vacated in preparation for the new academic year. However, the displaced people said they had nowhere else to go, stressing that they could not vacate the schools unless alternative accommodation was provided or they were given the opportunity to return to their homes.

In this context, ANHA agency spoke with representatives of the al-Shahba Civil Council, the Education Directorate in Qamishlo, and several displaced people to assess their conditions and demands, as well as the impact of their continued stay in the schools on the educational process.

The Education Directorate in Qamishlo said students’ families were putting pressure on the authorities to evacuate the schools so their children could resume their education. At the same time, it stressed the need to find an alternative solution for the displaced people that would allow them to move out of the schools.

The al-Shahba Civil Council said the displaced people had been given 24 hours to vacate the schools, but they have nowhere else to go. So far, no party has contacted them to seek a solution, while they are calling for the displaced people to be allowed to return to their homes.

Abdul Rahman Youssef Hassen, one of the al-Shahba displaced people residing at Okaz School, said: “We also want a solution to this problem so that we can return to our land and homes. We want to return, just as the people of Afrin did. We hope that a solution can be found for al-Shahba as well, as one was found for Afrin. We call on the governor of Aleppo to intervene and resolve this issue, as we have nowhere else to go.”

According to available data, 1,350 families from al-Shahba who were displaced in 2013, 2018, and 2024 and are currently residing in the Jazira and Kobani areas wish to return to their homes safely.

These families are distributed between the Jazira and Kobani areas, with 700 families residing in Qamishlo, 300 in Hasakah, and another 350 distributed between Amuda, Derik, and Kobani.

Of the 700 families residing in Qamishlo, 210 are currently living in schools, making the evacuation of the schools directly dependent on providing suitable alternative accommodation for the displaced people staying there.

According to information obtained by ANHA agency from the al-Shahba Civil Council, the Turkish state has deployed most of its armed factions in the al-Shahba region, including the al-Amshat, al-Hamzat, and Sultan Morad factions.

According to the council, these fighters act arbitrarily, detaining young people and targeting local residents at will. The council noted that the residents’ lack of trust in these fighters makes their return to their homes impossible under the current circumstances.

While the Education Directorate insists that the schools must be vacated to enable students to continue their academic year, displaced people from al-Shahba say that evacuating the schools without providing an alternative would leave them facing another crisis. They are calling for a solution that ensures suitable living conditions for them or creates the conditions necessary for a safe return to their homes.

ANHA