Idlib Reopens 580 Schools with Local Funding as Rebuilding Efforts Continue

The Directorate of Education in Idlib Governorate is pressing ahead with a sustained effort to rebuild the educational sector, supported by the Wafa for Idlib campaign fund, which finances restoration and rehabilitation works across the governorate's rural areas.

A further 32 schools in various districts of rural Idlib have been reopened following the completion of comprehensive repair works. This brings the total number of schools returned to operation since the start of 2025 to approximately 580 schools, as part of a continuous plan to restore full educational coverage across the governorate.

Around 100 additional schools are currently undergoing active restoration works aimed at expanding their capacity to accommodate larger numbers of students. The schools reopened to date have already provided access to education for approximately 10,000 male and female students, many of whom have returned with their families after years of forced displacement.

Broader Context: Syria's Education Crisis

These efforts unfold against a deeply challenging backdrop. The Ministry of Education has estimated that roughly 40% of Syria's schools have been damaged or destroyed as a result of years of conflict. UNICEF estimates that approximately 3 million children remain out of school nationwide, with a disproportionate share of damaged schools concentrated in the rural areas of Idlib and Hama. Idlib alone accounts for some 350 damaged school buildings.

This project stands as a model of locally driven financing in support of educational rebuilding, with the directorate affirming its commitment to completing the rehabilitation of all remaining schools across the governorate in the near term.