Teachers protest in Turkish-occupied areas demanding improved conditions ,salary payments

Teachers across several towns and cities in the Turkish-occupied northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo organized simultaneous protests today in front of local education directorates. The demonstrations condemned the deteriorating state of the educational sector and the non-payment of salaries for the third consecutive month. Protesters also expressed frustration over the conflicting policies imposed by Turkey, which differ significantly from those in other Syrian regions.

The protests were reported in Mare’, Azaz, Jarablus, Akhtarin, al-Rai, al-Bab, as well as the towns of Bza’a and Soran. Participants warned that continued disregard for their demands threatens the future of thousands of students.

Teachers carried banners highlighting their hardships and chanted slogans calling for the dismissal of officials responsible for the education sector in the occupied Syrian territories, as well as those affiliated with the Ministry of Education in the Syrian Interim Government.

These demonstrations come amid a sharp decline in educational and living conditions within areas controlled by Turkish forces and their allied militias, coupled with an absence of effective legal and institutional frameworks. Educational institutions in these occupied areas remain caught between the imposed policies of the Turkish occupation and the differing circumstances of other Syrian regions.

Earlier, the city of Manbij also witnessed a similar protest rejecting the policies of the Ministry of Education under the Syrian Interim Government. Additionally, teachers in al-Atarib, western Aleppo countryside, held protests demanding increased salaries.

ANHA