Over 4 million students return to school in first academic year since fall of Assad

Over four million students returned to school on Sunday to mark a new academic year in Syria, the first since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The ministry of education said in a statement that 4.2 million students are now enrolled across 12,000 schools around the country.

Ahead of the school year, preparations were underway to upkeep school buildings, including improving classroom furniture, as well as campaigns for water and sanitation facilities.

According to local media, in Damascus, around 250,000 students headed to 700 schools.

"Students were welcomed at schools, where they received their textbooks," Ayman Yassin, Damascus’ education director, said in a statement.

The new school year started amid major efforts to restore and modernise the education system, following over a decade of turmoil in the country.

The ministry of education said around 40 percent of schools nationwide require rebuilding or rehabilitation following years’ worth of damage.

Since the uprising against the Assad regime in 2011, Syria’s education sector has faced significant decline.

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 early 2025, UNICEF reported that around 30 million children in the MENA region were being deprived of their right to education, particularly in countries affected by conflict and crisis.

The UN agency added that the ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Palestine, Syria, and other countries were causing a "massive reversal" of the region’s educational gains.

Syria's new government, under Ahmed al-Sharaa, is facing a variety of challanges since the fall of Assad, including adressing bouts of violence, the economy and security.