Education Endures in Syria Despite Widespread Infrastructure Damage Thanks to LIFE

Across Syria, classrooms and universities are slowly reopening after years of war and displacement. Between January and March 2025, Life for Relief and Development’s higher education initiative supported 21,649 students and educators, providing salaries, scholarships, and essential materials to sustain instruction in one of the world’s most fragile education systems. 

The effort comes as the country faces worsening poverty, widespread infrastructure damage, and limited humanitarian funding. More than 14 million Syrians remain in need of assistance, and roughly 90 percent live below the poverty line. Many returning families have found their homes and schools destroyed, with classrooms converted into shelters or left without power, clean water, or trained teachers. 

At Gaziantep University, the second semester began in mid-January. LIFE’s funding ensured that salaries for lecturers and administrative staff were distributed on time through March, allowing classes to proceed without interruption. The University of Aleppo received commitments for laboratory upgrades, logistics support, and academic event funding as part of its recovery plan for the 2024–2025 academic year. 

The organization also maintained its university scholarship program, delivering overdue financial aid and new monthly grants to students across Aleppo and northern Syria. For many, these stipends have become critical to staying enrolled amid rising living costs. 

In the public education sector, LIFE’s field teams carried out routine monitoring in schools, where attendance has improved as security conditions stabilized. Teachers’ wages were paid regularly, and oral examinations resumed for the first time in months. Construction of a special-needs school in Azaz also advanced, with the roof completed by the end of the first quarter. 

Meanwhile, another LIFE initiative expanded to reach more students. Standardized entrance exams were administered in Aleppo, Azaz, and Termanin, followed by new training courses aimed at building digital skills and employability. 

Despite steady progress, challenges persist. Syria’s inflation and infrastructure breakdown continue to drive families into poverty, forcing some children to leave school for work. In areas where classrooms remain unsafe or overcrowded, LIFE introduced flexible learning options and community-based programs to keep students engaged. 

While the obstacles are considerable, the project has preserved academic continuity for tens of thousands of Syrians. In a country where education has long been a casualty of turmoil in the country, each functioning classroom represents not just recovery, but endurance.