Five years after ISIS having been eliminated | New phase of education starts in Deir Ezzor countryside thanks to cooperation by the region’s people

Education in areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration has experienced noticeable change after the elimination of ISIS in its latest stronghold in Al-Baghouz in March 2019.

 

During its control of the region, ISIS prevented teaching earlier curriculums at schools in Deir Ezzor under the pretext that “they were curriculums of the apostate.” ISIS also closed all schools at that time and replaced those curriculums with a “Sharia” curriculum calling for involving in combat and jihad activities against the infidels, as the organisation described.

 

At that time, all teachers underwent successive sharia courses, while the organisation accused several teachers of being infidel and supporting the Syrian regime. The female teachers were also forced to dress sharia black uniform with the Niqap. The salaries of the teaching stuffs were paid at the currency maid by the organisation, were the monthly salary of a teacher estimated to be 100 USD and the salary of a headmaster estimated to be 125 USD. It is worth noting that the rate of attaining education at ISIS schools approximated ten percentage only.

 

Under those conditions, residents had been optioned to send their children to ISIS schools or to escape to regime-controlled areas.

 

Five years after the elimination of ISIS from the region by Syrian Democratic Forces, in cooperation by the International Coalition, the Autonomous Administration, with efforts by the region’s people, managed to revive education under a new system provided by the UNICEF. Despite the considerable damage to the region’s schools, nearly 700 schools have been rehabilitated and opened until 2024.

 

Speaking to SOHR, a teacher known by his initials as J. M. from the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor said “during the period of ISIS control, the organisation turned to use the power of arms, where it forced us to undergo closed sharia courses lasting for 45 days, and it threatened to kill every teacher evading those courses. This forced many teachers to escape to regime-controlled areas to avoid repression by ISIS. ISIS education headquarters was stationed Jadidat Ekaydat town, and it was run by a Saudi person, while mixed teaching was prohibited.

 

Another teacher known as M. A. from the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor told SOHR “everyday, we heard about the absence of students. We later found out that ISIS was recruiting children and threw them into combat actions. We lost children everyday until the liberation of the region from the ignorance and backwardness of ISIS. After liberation, a new phase of education started, where schools have been opened and rehabilitated, and families started to send their children to attain education in those schools where they learn curriculums totally away from ISIS ideology.”

 

The current phase of education in Deir Ezzor has experienced actual development aims at preparing a society free of ignorance and extremism.