Rebuilding through education in Syria

Like many Syrian children, Jana carried a travel bag before she ever carried a backpack. Her family fled from Aleppo to Türkiye when she was a young child, in search of safety from the widespread violence and war. After 10 years of displacement, living as refugees abroad, her family finally had the opportunity to return home. But upon returning they were met with a new challenge: after years away from Syria, Jana had to reintegrate into a school system that was still struggling to recover from conflict.

Jana is one of an estimated 1.4 million displaced persons who returned to Syria in 2025, comprising at least 51 per cent children. Following the change in authorities in December 2024, Syria undertook significant steps towards reconstruction and transformation. The overall scale and intensity of conflict declined, and the government and international community began to lay the groundwork for the country’s sustainable recovery. 

But, despite this progress, the humanitarian situation remains complex: displacement continues to be high, there are critical gaps in service delivery, and the education system, which was already under strain, is experiencing widening gaps.

While enrollment increased in 2025, according to a multi-sectoral needs assessment (2025), about 32 per cent of children are either out of school or rarely attending, and a further 1 million children are at risk of dropping out.

Even for those who are in school, a staggering 50 per cent of assessed schools reported disruptions in 2025, with students missing an average of 25.5 instructional days due to insecurity, natural hazards, teacher absence, long travel distances a  and continued use of schools as shelters, according to a 2025 to a Joint Education Needs Assessment (JENA) carried out with support from the Global Education Cluster.

The challenges were particularly acute for families like Jana’s, who were reintegrating. Many families returned to damaged facilities and had to travel long distances to school with limited transportation. After years abroad, Jana, like many learners, struggled to read and write in Arabic and needed linguistic support. Many students were also in need of remedial help, accelerated or catchup learning to account for the learning losses they experienced while displaced.

"In the context of displacement, education remains life-saving and life sustaining for the children of Syria."

To coordinate the response, the Education Sector in Syria is working with local organizations to expand safe, inclusive, and continuous learning, with a focus on returnees: out of a target of 3.8 million people, comprising children, teachers and education personnel, 36 per cent are displaced students, 14 per cent are previously displaced students and six per cent are returnee refugee students that have returned to their home.

A school in Jana’s neighborhood organized a Back-to-School Campaign implemented by Takaful Al Sham with the support of Arche noVa. The project aims to help returning students reintegrate into their schools in a safe and supportive way through various educational and social activities.

“In the context of displacement, education remains life-saving and life sustaining for the children of Syria,” says Dearbhla Egan, the Syrian Education Sector Coordinator. “Schools provide stability in the face of turbulent circumstances and connect students and families with essential services, protection and psychosocial support. As the country continues to rebuild, a well-education generation is one of the strongest building blocks they can have.”

Syria is also one of five countries piloting an ECHO-funded action on Rapid EiE. As a consequence of regional escalations, increased cross-border arrivals from Lebanon are adding new stresses to the education system on top of the protracted issues. The Rapid EiE team is developing a contingency plan to respond to sudden-onset emergencies, such as natural hazards, conflict, to help ensure the continuity of education in the face of shocks.

Today, Jana no longer sees school as just a place for learning, but as the path that will lead her to her big dream: to become a doctor, help her family, serve people, and restore hope to those who need it. She hopes to see all children returning to their homeland enrolled in schools and able to pursue their education.

"I now have friends, not just classmates. I look forward to going to school every day. I have overcome my language difficulties and feel that I am improving in my studies day by day."