SOHR Warns of Education Crisis as 230,000 Students Miss School in Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) warned on Sunday of what it described as an “educational and humanitarian disaster” unfolding in northern and eastern Syria, as more than 230,000 students remain out of school.

In a report on the region’s education sector, SOHR said the crisis has been driven by the unresolved situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs), with hundreds of schools converted into shelters for families displaced by recent military operations.

According to the report, around 72,000 students in the city of Kobani have been completely deprived of education. The highest numbers were recorded in Hasakah, Qamishlo, and surrounding villages, where approximately 160,000 students were unable to attend classes as the second semester began.

SOHR attributed the disruption primarily to widespread displacement caused by fighting between the Syrian Arab Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which forced thousands of families to seek refuge in school buildings. As a result, the educational process has been halted, and many students have been unable to sit for their mid-year examinations, placing their entire academic year at risk.

The Observatory warned that prolonged school closures could lead to permanent exclusion from education for many children, with serious long-term social consequences. It stated that the figures have been shared with the international community and UNICEF, emphasizing that leaving hundreds of thousands of children without access to education in camps and on the streets could lead to a lasting social crisis.

SOHR called on all concerned parties to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and to act urgently to provide adequate housing for displaced families away from educational facilities. The report emphasized that schools must be evacuated and returned to their original purpose in order to protect the future of an entire generation.