MSDBy Lina al-Ali – Aleppo
Ammar al-Maatouq – Damascus
As a new academic year begins for Syrians, they continue to live in misery and suffering amidst the dire crisis that has affected various aspects of life. Education is one of these aspects. Every academic year, Syrian families face challenges, especially in areas under the control of the authorities in Damascus. These challenges include securing their children’s educational needs. Pressures on these families have been exacerbated by the lack of a careful planning and oversight.
It is a financial burden for a lot of families to afford school supplies for their children. Reports by international organizations indicate that over 90% of Syrians live in poverty. Simultaneously, the soaring prices of school supplies exceeds the purchasing power of numerous families in the authority-controlled areas.
Significant disparities
The absence of authorities’ control over markets and the exploitation of the economic crisis by merchants have affected Syrians’ lives. Disparities regarding the prices of school supplies are obvious in shops. There is a significant gap between people’s income and the prices of school items.
In a related context, Imad A., 47 years old, an employee and a resident in Jdeidat Artouz, Rif Dimashq, expressed surprise at the prices of school supplies and uniforms. He has three children, two of whom study at the primary school. To secure school uniforms and supplies for his children during this level of grades, he needs at least around 1.6 million Syrian pounds (SP). This cost would cover supplies for just one semester.
He describes the economic situation as a dire one. “The approaching of a new academic year poses a major catastrophe for us. We are employees not merchants. My salary does not exceed 380,000 SP, and my wife’s salary is also no more than 250,000 SP. How can we afford school uniforms and supplies?” he said.
A neglectful authority of its population
Imad A. explains that there has been an increase in the prices of school uniforms and supplies this year compared to last year by nearly 150%. There are not any loans provided by the authorities this year. He pointed out that he obtained a loan of 680,000 SP to secure essential school supplies last year. “We are facing a catastrophe this year due to the lack of loans. Prices of school items are soaring, and merchants exploit this dire situation. The authorities seem neglectful and do not take care of Syrian citizens’ needs”, he added.
Also: Authority in Damascus uses intimidation to drive out opponents from Daraa
He did a tour of markets in Jdeidat Artouz to check prices for school supplies. He said that he needs an amount of money exceeding 1.5 million SP to buy two items of school supplies, including bags, uniforms, notebooks, pens, sneakers, and pajamas. It is worth noting that prices in Jdeidat Artouz are low compared to other areas in Damascus or its suburbs. He is perplexed and unsure how to face this problem. He believes that this dire situation will negatively impact all educational grades in Syria.
He clarifies that the rumors about the Ministry of Education issuing a directive on regardless of school uniforms are false. It claims that this is due to economic hardships that Syrians face. However, the reality in schools is different. Each school has its own system.
Also, he emphasizes that all schools in Jdeidat Artouz require students to wear school uniforms and purchase textbooks at rising prices which should be provided for free. This is despite claims that textbooks of the elementary grade in authority-controlled areas are free. Nevertheless, parents pay significant fees throughout the academic year.
” Our reality is truly unfortunate, and the situation for Syrians in these areas is catastrophic. We suffer from the lack of services, electricity and water. The economic situation is challenging, making it difficult for us to meet our basic needs by the approaching of Winter and the start of the new academic year”, he added.
Attempts for reducing expenses
Aleppo, which plays the most significant role in Syria’s economy, faces similar challenges to Damascus. Some families try to manage their affairs by fixing and reusing old school uniforms and bags of their children due to dire living conditions.
In a related context, Fatima M., 38 years old, points out that she resorted to fix her children’s school uniforms and bags that they used last year to reuse them in the new academic year.
On the other hand, the deteriorating economic situation has forced many Syrian families to buy lower-quality school supplies at affordable prices to meet their needs.
Additional costs
Bakri A., 44 years old, an employee, lives in Aleppo and he has three children. Two of them study in the elementary school and the other one studies in the high school. He seeks to purchase necessary school supplies at affordable prices. However, according to him, the problem lies in managing the expenses for his son who studies in the high school because he requires additional costs.
The rising prices of private educational courses add to the ongoing struggle faced by many families. Also, the prices are not fixed in educational institutions.
These escalating costs affect both middle school and high school students. Bakri M. emphasized that the increased prices of high-grade textbooks, for his son Muhammad, reflect the difficulty of the current situation compared to previous years. Financial burdens are growing, especially with the rising costs of private courses, amidst chaos in public schools, leading to concerns about academic dropout.
Also: Suppressed cries demand exposing the authority’s violations in northern countryside of Homs
The Syrian middle-income family needs a double monthly salary to secure the cost of school supplies for one student. If there is more than one student, this will need further costs. This adds additional burdens to a large segment of parents amidst economic crises.
Traders complain a recession on business
Traders also experience hardships during this time of the year. They complain of significant financial losses due to the prevailing economic recession and citizens’ reluctance to make purchases. The difficulty lies in bridging the gap between the income of breadwinners and the educational needs and supplies for their children.
Futile decisions of families
Many families in authority-controlled areas seriously consider not enrolling their children in middle and high schools. This happens in light of the economic crises and breadwinners’ low wages compared to the soaring prices. They allow their children to take the exams of high school diploma without attending schools. The goal is to avoid the costs of school supplies. Other families allow their children to work after attending school to cover expenses. In both cases, the student is the sole affected party.
The deteriorating of education
Experts believe that there are not any plans by the authority to improve the educational sector. Therefore, this continuous educational decline could lead to further deterioration. Such a situation could affect Syria in the coming days.
The economic crisis in Syria has significantly impacted the educational sector. Parents are concerned about the current situation that will cause further negative impacts on their children’s academic performance. The reason lies in the inability of parents to cover the increasing costs of education for their children.
This condition reveals the dire situation of thousands of Syrian families that experience poverty. It is worth mentioning that the authorities in Damascus do not address this deteriorating situation.
