Enab Balad – Odai al-Haj Hussin
The education sector in eastern Hama countryside continues to suffer, as residents face harsh choices to ensure their children’s schooling. This comes amid widespread destruction of school infrastructure, a shortage of teaching staff, and unpaid salaries for months.
With the absence of sufficient official support, community initiatives and modest homes have become a last resort to save an entire generation from illiteracy.
Testimonies obtained by Enab Baladi from residents, teachers, and local officials in villages across eastern Hama countryside reveal a tragic educational reality shaped by destroyed infrastructure, marginalized local staff, and the absence of international organizations.
Destroyed school, mosque rooms as an alternative
Mohammad Hassan al-Ahmad, a father of three schoolchildren from Qanbar village, described the public school as “completely destroyed.” The damage was not only caused by military operations. He said local armed groups affiliated with the former regime dismantled and stole the building’s iron before residents returned after liberation, leaving the school as an unusable shell, with no official inspection or rehabilitation committees.
He added that residents equipped two rooms attached to the village mosque at their own expense, installing doors and windows to ensure the continuation of education.
However, the main challenge remains the teaching staff, as one teacher alone is responsible for educating all students.
“But if a sheikh is appointed to the mosque, we will have to vacate these rooms for him, and the students will be left without a school,” Mohammad said.
“We went several times to the Education Directorate in Salamiyah to obtain school desks. After great difficulty, we received old and broken desks that we had to repair at our own expense,” he added, summarizing the struggle to secure basic school supplies.
Classrooms without doors, lessons without focus
The situation is repeated elsewhere in a different form. Students attend classes in residential homes surrounded by rubble, lacking the most basic requirements.
Hussein al-Ahmad, a teacher in Hamada al-Omar village, said classrooms are open to one another due to the absence of internal doors. Around six teachers are forced to give lessons simultaneously in the same space, causing severe noise and preventing students from concentrating.
“These alternative classrooms also suffer from a lack of lighting and electricity, and a severe shortage of desks and proper blackboards,” he added.
The crisis extends to the core of the educational process, with shortages in textbooks and curricula, and the absence of specialized teachers in key subjects such as English, mathematics, and Arabic.
“Substitute teachers” without salaries
Walid al-Akla, a teacher in Suha village within the Uqayribat educational complex, highlighted another dimension of the crisis related to teaching staff.
Teachers in the Uqayribat complex have been excluded from previous job stabilization competitions, resulting in nearly all staff being classified as “substitutes,” reaching almost 100%, according to al-Akla.
He added that the most painful issue is the suspension of salaries. Teachers in the area have not received their wages since September 21, 2025, leaving them without income for nearly seven months. This situation affects their psychological and financial stability, as they struggle to meet even basic living needs.
One rehabilitated school out of 93
Uqayribat municipality head, Hafez al-Hammoud, shared statistics reflecting the scale of the disaster.
Out of 93 schools in the Uqayribat sector, only one has been rehabilitated.
Although around 42 schools are partially operational, they lack the minimum requirements for a proper educational environment. Most schools are missing doors, windows, and classroom furniture.
Some classrooms even lack flooring tiles, and most educational facilities do not have functional sanitation services, according to al-Hammoud.
Regarding teaching staff, he confirmed a severe shortage in scientific specializations, particularly English, which is nearly absent, followed by mathematics for intermediate-level students.
He attributed the difficulty of attracting teachers from nearby Salamiyah to the large gap between salaries and living costs. Monthly transportation costs for a teacher reach about one million Syrian pounds, exceeding the salary by approximately 100,000 Syrian pounds, making commuting an additional financial burden.
Al-Hammoud criticized the absence of both international and local organizations in supporting the education sector, stressing that the area has not received any educational or relief projects targeting schools.
He concluded, “There is an urgent need to launch summer education programs to compensate students for what they have missed and to prepare the school environment before it is too late.”
Community initiative revives a destroyed school
Amid this reality, a grassroots initiative has emerged as a model of social solidarity.
Mohammad al-Mohammad, an educational supervisor in the Uqayribat complex, told Enab Baladi that returning residents found their village buried under war rubble, with no services and heavily damaged educational facilities. The urgent need to educate children pushed the community toward local initiatives.
Abdul Karim al-Mohammad, principal of Rasm al-Awabed school, explained the initiative: “The school rehabilitation began with contributions from village residents, both locals and expatriates, each according to their ability.”
A collaborative workshop was formed, starting with rebuilding walls and preparing them. Doors and windows were installed, the school was fully repainted, and a solar energy system was set up.
Despite the success in rehabilitating the primary school, he called for attention to the secondary school, which remains destroyed.
“We value initiatives and are addressing shortages”
Wasim al-Ahmad, director of the media office at the Hama Directorate of Education, told Enab Baladi that the directorate “highly appreciates” community initiatives in Uqayribat. It does not only offer moral support, but also follows up with these schools and provides available logistical assistance such as desks and boards.
Regarding staff shortages, al-Ahmad acknowledged gaps in certain specializations, particularly mathematics and English. He said efforts are ongoing to redistribute available staff, rely on local teachers, and develop incentive mechanisms to attract teachers to remote areas.
He added that the directorate has supplied a large portion of textbooks to schools in the area, though “some titles are still being distributed due to limited quantities,” with efforts underway to fill the gaps gradually.
Al-Ahmad also acknowledged that heating remains a major challenge, noting that the directorate provides available fuel allocations within its capacity and seeks cooperation with the local community and supporting organizations.
Regarding delayed teacher salaries, he attributed the issue to “central administrative and financial procedures,” confirming ongoing follow-up with relevant authorities to ensure payments are made as soon as possible.
A tour reveals the collapse of the education sector in eastern Hama countryside Enab Baladi.
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