Protests in Sweida reject forcing students to take exams in unsafe areas

Al-Karama Square in Sweida witnessed recurring protests attended by dozens of activists and protesters after local groups prevented students from traveling to the northern countryside to take their exams.

According to the protesters, only around 150 students out of 13,000 were able to reach examination centers in the area, prompting criticism and calls for examination centers to be provided in areas they consider safe.

Activist Muthanna Al-Hanawi said the students’ issue is linked to demands for freedom and justice, arguing that forcing students to travel to areas experiencing security tensions places additional burdens on them.

Al-Hanawi stressed that each party has its own responsibilities, saying, “A teacher is responsible for their words, a student is responsible for their opinion, a father is responsible for raising their children, an activist is responsible for their political stance, and a leader is responsible for their followers.”

Retired teacher Mahmoudi Al-Shaar, for her part, expressed her opposition to students taking exams inside tents and called for their right to education and to sit for exams in safe areas to be guaranteed.

She questioned whether it was reasonable to ask a student from villages that had been subjected to displacement, burning and looting to take an exam in a tent.

Mahmoudi said, “Education is not a favor, it is a right,” rejecting the imposition of exceptional circumstances on students that could affect their ability to sit for exams.

Sumaya Al-Yousef, who was displaced from the town of Samie, said her participation in the protest was in defense of students who have been forced to take exams at centers located in displaced and burned villages, placing additional psychological and financial burdens on them.

She added that residents refuse to allow their children to travel to those areas and called for safe examination centers to be provided within the areas where students live.

Protester Bayan Ezzi also called for exams to be held in safe areas, saying students should not have to bear the consequences of the security and political circumstances surrounding examination centers.

The protests come amid growing calls to provide appropriate and safe conditions for students and guarantee their right to sit for exams without the locations of examination centers becoming an obstacle.

A-H 

ANHA