Amid the rubble of destroyed schools and the memories of forced displacement, life is gradually returning to towns and villages that have lain silent for years as a result of the Syrian war.
As thousands of families make their way back after years of estrangement, many insist that restarting their children’s education must be their priority.
Since the uprising against the Assad regime began in 2011, Syria’s education sector has all but collapsed.
Thousands of schools lie in ruins, or have been converted into makeshift shelters or military outposts. Meanwhile, countless children have gone without formal schooling for years.
In response, local civil initiatives have emerged in recent months, rebuilding schools and organising classes in the absence of any significant government support.
Prioritising education
Donations from families in Syria and abroad have formed the backbone of these efforts. In many cases, in-kind contributions — such as old books, uniforms, doors, and curtains — have proved more valuable than cash.
In Talmenes, east of Maarat al-Numan, residents have returned after six years in exile to find the village school completely destroyed.
“We were living in tents, and now we have come back to live among the rubble, but the children need education, even before we think about rebuilding our homes,” says Roua Qasem, a mother of five.
In sharing this, Roua notes that she is not alone in her view, as other residents in Talmenes and beyond agree that, despite the devastation of homes, infrastructure, and services, education remains their greatest concern — and they are determined that their children’s futures will not be sacrificed to the long years of war.
Gazing at the crumbling school walls, Roua adds: “We’re ready to rebuild our schools with our own hands so that our children can learn, because we don’t want them to lose even more than we have lost.”
Makeshift classes
In the Aleppo countryside, Kafr Karmin residents are also volunteering to rebuild their school using local stone and clay.
“We didn’t have cement or electricity, so we used the basic materials that were available, because our children deserve this effort,” says Bara al‑Mohammed, one of the volunteers.
Some teachers have already begun offering interim lessons in semi-usable or open-air spaces, dividing pupils into smaller groups to start making up for lost time.
Khaled Shehada, a teacher who returned to Morek, north Hama, explains: “We are working for no salary, and do not have enough equipment. We’re organising classes with no textbooks, but we can’t leave these children to their fate.”
With an exhausted smile, he continues: “Sometimes we write the lessons on a large piece of card instead of a blackboard. The students’ presence is enough to motivate us. The letters they learn today will be used to build their future — and that of their village.”
He notes that these individual efforts, although limited, “contribute to providing support, however limited, including the rehabilitation of some classrooms and the distribution of stationery.”
However, he adds, the challenges remain significant — “from teaching staff shortages to the lack of electricity and water, not to mention the fear that dilapidated buildings could collapse at any moment, causing disasters and claiming lives.”
Still, he says, the sound of children’s voices has slowly returned to school courtyards, stirring memories of the dreams once born in young minds within these cracked walls.
In villages such as these, he adds, the school stands for more than just a building — it symbolises the community’s determination to live, and their conviction that knowledge is the only way to survive after war.
A return of the school bell
In Anjara, west of Aleppo, dozens of children now gather each morning at a school gate that was until recently little more than rubble.
Today, the school bell rings once more to welcome pupils for the summer term — a sign that life is returning to a place abandoned for years.
Mazen Sattouf, a village elder, says the building still falls short of basic educational standards — it lacks proper sanitation, doors, and windows.
“To build a school before building a house isn’t a decision based on emotion, but an investment in a future that may not be recoverable if delayed,” he says.
“A house shelters the body, but a school safeguards the mind against displacement and gives the child a weapon that wars cannot destroy.”
With support, Mazen has helped clear rubble and restore classrooms. He is now urging stakeholders and international organisations to make the renovation of Syria’s devastated schools — and the provision of teachers and materials — a top humanitarian and development priority.
He shares, “The children of Anjara, and elsewhere, have the right to find those who will stand with them, not with empty slogans, but with actions that translate into reality.
"These children are the only guarantors that the tragedy in Syria won’t be repeated. We don’t want to plant a fragile future in our land that will collapse at the first crisis.
“Education isn’t a luxury in the post‑war era; it’s the cornerstone of true reconstruction.”
'Ignorance is the enemy, and education is life'
Mahmoud Zarzour, 14, recently returned from northwest Syria after being displaced for seven years from his home in the devastated Damascus countryside.
He now sells bread and, despite having passed the age for basic education without learning to read or write, is actively helping local initiatives to restore schools by removing rubble and cleaning classrooms.
"Since we had to leave our home, I haven't entered a school," says Mahmoud.
"My father was badly injured during the war, and my mother is ill, so I have been supporting my family and earning enough for them to eat every day. However, I want the children of my town to be able to learn and not to be deprived as I was."
He adds: “The villagers are no longer waiting for help from the UN or anyone else. We are rebuilding our school with our hands, and we will watch over it, because ignorance is the enemy, and education is life.”
According to reports by international organisations, over 2.4 million children inside Syria are out of school due to the repercussions of the war, which include displacement, widespread poverty, and child labour.
Furthermore, over 7,000 schools have been fully or partially destroyed due to bombing or repurposing for non-educational purposes.
Hadia Al Mansour is a freelance journalist from Syria who has written for Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Monitor, SyriaUntold and Rising for Freedom Magazine
Article translated from Arabic by Rose Chacko