Fading Hopes in Aleppo’s Classrooms: A Daily Struggle

Although the fighting in Aleppo ended over eight years ago, the consequences of war continue to weigh heavily on daily life.

Across Syria, education is declining, with many children leaving school to help their families survive. This shift brings concerns of rising illiteracy and a growing gap in knowledge within communities.

With the Syrian pound losing value rapidly, the cost of living keeps rising, and people’s ability to handle financial pressures keeps shrinking. Many families now find themselves forced to pull their children out of school, sending them to work at a young age to contribute to the family’s basic needs.

In 2010, Aleppo had around 2,223 schools, nearly meeting global standards for student accommodations. But last year, the Ministry of Education reported that about 524 of these schools had been damaged, and 193 were destroyed entirely.

A report from United Nations organizations in 2013 indicated that 18% of Syrian children were not attending school, with over two million kids between the ages of 6 and 17 missing out on their education. Today, schools struggle to serve their communities, with crowded classrooms, broken furniture, and a lack of heating, lighting, and even clean bathrooms.

According to UN data, school dropouts have reached an alarming rate. In 2011, over 726,000 children enrolled in first grade, but by 2019, that number had dropped to about 434,000, marking a nearly 40% decrease.

Mr. Yasser, a local resident, explains that most schools are now barely usable, with broken furniture, safety concerns, and limited heating for the winter. While some families can still afford the high costs of education, many have had to stop sending their children to school, pushing them into work instead to help with the family’s financial burdens.

Beyond the cost of schooling, many families feel education no longer holds the promise it once did, especially given the current situation.

Umaima, an Arabic language teacher in Aleppo, remarks that education has become a luxury for middle-class families, a group that is slowly disappearing as it merges with the poor or struggling classes.