Education Minister: Syrian government will spare no effort to return all children to their schools in every area

Damascus, SANA- The Syrian Government is committed to bringing all Syrian children back to school in order to achieve the 4th objective of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, Minster of Education Hazwan al-Waz said on Tuesday.

During a meeting with Assistant-Director General for Education of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Qian Tang and the accompanying delegation, al-Waz affirmed that the Syrian government will spare no effort to return all children to their schools in every area, as it responsible for every Syrian child and for ensuring their rights as guaranteed by the Syrian Constitution.

Al-Waz pointed out that the national educational plan has been translated by taking practical steps to school attendence and to ensure the progress of the educational process, where the number of students is currently about 4.342 million in 14,000 schools, while the number of teachers is 312,000, in addition to the return of 500,000 student to their schools since the beginning of 2017.

He highlighted the active role of UNESCO in helping Syria and its positive attitudes towards education issues during the current circumstances, such as the rehabilitation and equipping of a number of schools in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, and the southwestern countryside of Raqqa.

He reviewed the challenges faced by the educational sector in light of the unfair economic measures imposed on the Syrian people that negatively impacted the rehabilitation and equipping of schools that were damaged or destroyed as a result of terrorist acts, which is about 8,000 schools in all provinces.

In turn, Tang pointed out to the UNESCO’s special and privileged communication with the Ministry of Education, where the Ministry’s efforts in supporting and helping children to ensure their return to schools and to maintain the quality of education were reviewed.

He said that Syria has faced huge challenges during the current period and UNESCO appreciates its efforts to address the repercussions of the crisis on the education sector, stressing UNESCO’s keenness to support Syria in the field of education and secure the necessary funding.

Manar al-Freih / Hazem Sabbagh