Syria’s Education Ministry Rehabilitates 1,370 Schools as 5.2 Million Students Start 2026-2027 Year

School year begins

More than 5.2 million male and female students across Syria’s provinces headed to schools on Sunday, September 6, as the 2026-2027 academic year began. The Syrian Ministry of Education set September 6 as the official start date for classes in public and private schools, while administrative work began on September 1. SANA said that during 2026 the ministry rehabilitated and restored 1,370 schools, after 2,017 centers were returned to service in 2025, and that more than 6,000 schools still need repair and maintenance.

In the eastern region, 2,350 schools reopened as part of reintegrating the educational process into the national system, with Raqqa reporting 1,137 of about 1,439 schools ready and about 300 still needing maintenance. In Aleppo, 134 schools were rehabilitated and re-opened to receive more than 65,000 students, alongside the distribution of 14,000 classroom seats, while around 1,950 centers continued to need repairs.

Reporting for this sectionسانا

Damascus curriculum

The start of the new school year also marked the application of unified plans of study across all Syrian provinces, with the “Damascus Curriculum” as the academic base.

SANA said the ministry concluded national standards that would serve as a reference for new programs, while the Ministry of Education said the 2025-2026 curriculum would be adopted during 2026-2027 in all provinces.

In Idlib, 650 schools were rehabilitated and opened since the liberation on December 8, 2024, while renovation work continued on other schools.

In Raqqa, the ministry’s readiness figures were tied to whether schools were prepared to receive students, with 1,137 of about 1,439 schools ready for the academic year and about 300 needing maintenance.

In eastern provinces, the ministry explained that Ministerial Resolution No. 1617 allows students who previously studied under the “Self-Administration” curricula to take general certificate exams for secondary and basic education stages during the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 academic years only.

Reporting for this sectionسانا

Costs and support

As schools reopened, Syrian families faced additional financial burdens to secure school supplies, including stationery, backpacks, clothing, shoes, and other necessities. A woman living in one of the camps of Deir Hassan village in the northern countryside of Idlib, identified as Tasnim al-‘Abdo, said she bought second-hand school bags for her daughters from “rags” markets and kept her younger daughter from joining kindergarten due to inability to bear the monthly installment. Economic researcher Hamid Saif al-Din, in a special interview with Sham News Network, said school expenses are not limited to notebooks and pens and can extend to transport costs and private lessons, making the burden cumulative rather than a single expenditure.

Saif al-Din warned that families already struggling to secure food or pay rent or cover medical costs may be forced to cut spending to cover school expenses, increasing the risk of school dropouts in the most difficult cases. He proposed free distribution of complete school bags to the most needy children and community school funds to collect, sort, and redistribute used bags, books, and clothing, alongside vouchers or educational cash assistance for the poorest families.