Security vacuum fuels sectarian strife in Syrian Higher Education

Hundreds of university students have been forced to return home after leaving university housing in several Syrian cities, following a wave of sectarian incitement and harassment.

An increasingly hostile environment in university campuses and dormitories has led many students to return to their regions out of concern for their safety, as Damascus authorities remain silent and fail to intervene to protect them or ensure their right to continue their education in a secure setting.

 The security situation worsened following clashes that erupted on April 29 in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, resulting in dozens of casualties.

 Amid these developments and the growing sectarian rhetoric on and off campus, hundreds of students from Sweida and the coastal region have been gradually leaving their dorms. On Wednesday, hundreds of students at Aleppo University departed, while others had already left in previous days from Homs and Damascus, with more leaving today.

 Videos have circulated showing hundreds of students pulling their luggage as they leave university campuses heading back to their hometowns.

 Several students reported feeling isolated and threatened within the campus, and that official institutions ignored their pleas, which led them to make the difficult decision to leave. They emphasized they would not return to their studies unless real guarantees are given for their protection, stating, “Education is a fundamental right that cannot be stripped away by fear.”

 At the same time, a public letter titled “Students of Sweida Province” was widely shared on social media. It was addressed to the Ministry of Higher Education, university administrations, and religious and social leaders, urging immediate action to protect students, ensure the continuation of their education, and compensate them for the exams they were forcibly prevented from taking.

 a.k

ANHA