Salvation Front eases investment in educational sector in Idlib via establishing several private schools

Amid high populations in Idlib and its countryside due to the recurrent displacement waves and lack of schools in the camps as well as lifting the subsidy for the deteriorating educational sector, several investors exploit the conditions to open private schools with high costs. Those schools attract thousands of students in all educational stages: primary, high junior and high school for large annual installments compared to the civilians especially the displaced people conditions.
The Salvation Government’s role is only related to setting the educational curriculums and in applying the administrative regulations for each educational sector as all private schools in Idlib and its countryside working under the Ministry of Education while each school administration is responsible for choosing its stuff and the criteria of choosing the employees and setting their monthly salaries.
Each private school should receive its license from the Salvation Government. The required documents include bond of the school land ownership and scientific professions as well as other conditions related to building schools based on the criteria approved by populations in the surrounding areas.
A source told SOHR that there are nearly 160 private schools and institutes in Idlib and its countryside, some of which are private schools that have been established by humanitarian organizations and charity institutions that provide educations for free for all students, but most of these schools are private investments for investors most of whom are from the displaced or the deported who opened these schools for financial objective or for investing the education process in north Syria.
He added that the fees for registering the students differ from a school to another and it starts with 100 to 300 Turkish Lira based on the quality of education, and the facilities in school.
Activist “M.A” from west Hama countryside who lives in kafr Takhareem in north Idlib countryside told SOHR, “it was obvious in the current time that the educational process in north Syria has started to be limited on the rich people which explain the spread of the private schools that lured thousands of students.
He added that the rich families can and prefer to send their kids for education in the private schools not like those who suffered the living conditions that can forces some to push their kids for working and layoff their schools, noting that the main reason for the prosperity of these schools is the high turnout of the families despite the high expenses and the lack of popular reactions towards these schools.
M.A added that high population also has contributed to increase of the private schools that have unfortunately become clearly profitable and don’t care for bringing educated generations.
He pointed out that the governing authority represented in Tahrir al-Sham and the Salvation Government eases the procedures for establishing those schools likely to impose taxes and levies in the future.
Generally speaking, the big merchants and the capitals tycoons, according to M.A. have semi-completely controlled the educational sector like some countries like Lebanon and other countries.
After efforts and sufferings, Ms. “H.M” wo has been displaced from north Hama countryside has provided the requested money for registering her lonely boy in one of the private schools in Deir Hassan neighborhood for the high school.
In her testimony for SOHR, she said “I was forces to transfer him to that school because he failed in his last year exams in a public school, but the private schools will provide better educations and services.”
She added that despite the privileges of the private schools, but its expenses are very high and don’t match the conditions of most of the families, noting that the school that she has registered for her boy in has cost her 220 Turkish Lira per month but she was forced to enroll her boy in that schools due to her persistence to continue his education even if she had to borrow money.
She expressed her concerns of her inability in the future to provide the fees of the monthly installment adding, “I even don’t know if the management of the school will consider our conditions or not as I lost my husband several years ago and live without breadwinner.”
While SOHR activists were surveying the issues of the annual and the monthly school fees imposed by the private schools that are spreading Idlib and its countryside, they found that the fees average ranges from 200 to 300 USD.
On Sept. 18, SOHR sources have documented the opening of a new private schools that is deemed as the largest and the newest either in Idlib or its countryside and is located in south of Atamah town in north Idlib countryside.
The sources added that the school fees are valued at 700,000 USD and its owned by one of the deported from al-Hamah town in Reef Dimashq whose name is “F.N.” and several other partners.
The school welcomed the students with monthly fees that are estimated by 300 Turkish lira in addition to 100 liras for the students who desire using the school’s transportation means.