Syria: 316 schools were restored and fully equipped after last year’s catastrophic earthquake

After the catastrophic earthquake in February 2023 in Aleppo province, Syria, 1019 schools were damaged while 349 of them were deemed unsafe. Mustafa Abdel Ghani, who is the director of Education in Syria, stated that they have completed the restoration and maintenance of 316 affected schools. He added that plans for the remaining 30 schools, that need retrofit and restoration, are undergoing. It should be noted that all the above efforts are the result of the collaboration of the government with civil associations and international organizations.

The Head of the Department of Planning and International Cooperation also stated that the damage wasn’t severe to all the affected schools. As of present, maintenance teams are trying to clear the debris and repair it when it is needed. He argued that the restoration of the schools is crucial for the community and the students and simultaneously he will address former classroom overcrowding problems and upgrade the schools’ environments in general.

In all, it is worth mentioning that Aleppo province has in total 1,881 schools with capacity of 600,000 students fully equipped.