Syria’s children return to school after 14 years of conflict

DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This month marks a turning point for Syria’s children. After more than a decade of crisis and disrupted education, a powerful shift is underway—a movement to bring children not just back into classrooms, but back into hope and opportunity.
 
Syria’s protracted conflict has created a complex web of humanitarian, economic, and social challenges. Millions of children have been exposed to violence, displacement, and trauma. The economy has been devastated, with 90% of Syrians living in poverty, widespread unemployment, and soaring food prices leaving 9.3 million people food insecure. These combined factors create significant barriers for children to access safe, quality education and rebuild their futures. 
 
The Back-to-Learning campaign highlights not only a return to classrooms, but a renewed commitment to education as the cornerstone of recovery. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) along with UNICEF and Save the Children have supported out-of-school children and those at risk of dropping out through non-formal education pathways. 

By providing accelerated learning programs, remedial classes and early childhood education, the program helps children acquire foundational and life skills and eases their transition into formal schooling. 

To date, more than 15,000 children have transitioned into formal schooling thanks to the GPE program. To support this transition, the program has equipped over 3,800 students with a tailored age- and grade-appropriate learning kit, giving them the tools and confidence to successfully reintegrate into formal school. And school rehabilitation efforts have helped ensure that students are learning in safe education environments. 

“After 14 years of conflict, children are returning to school with a fresh start and a step toward equal opportunity for every child, no matter where they live or what they have endured over this period," said Zeinab Adam, Deputy Representative, UNICEF in Syria. 

Children finding their way back 

Across Syria, children like Hayat, who dreams of becoming a paediatrician, and Sarah*, who calls school “my life,” are finding safety, belonging, and opportunity through education. Their teachers, many trained to provide both academic and emotional support, are helping them regain confidence and rebuild futures once put on hold. 

Impact at a glance 

• Over 178,000 children enrolled in non-formal education pathways.
• Almost 65,100 children with disabilities supported to participate in education.
• Over 19,814 teachers trained in pedagogy, psychosocial support, and child protection.
• More than 94,500 earthquake-affected children benefited from non-formal education services, and 96% of supported students showed improved reading and math skills.
• More than 2,930 children enrolled in early childhood education programs. 
  

Education for recovery 

Since 2020, GPE has provided over US$46 million in grants to support education in Syria, working alongside partners to create safe, protective learning spaces, improve infrastructure, and strengthen community engagement. GPE funding has also supported sector coordination, improving alignment of national and international efforts to meet education needs.

For families and teachers, the return to school is more than an academic milestone, it is a commitment to peace, resilience and the future of Syria’s children. 

Education multiplies possibility: it not only equips children with literacy and numeracy, but also strengthens life skills, resilience, and hope. By keeping children engaged in learning, education protects them from the risks of child labor, early marriage, and exploitation, while opening pathways to future study, employment, and participation in rebuilding their communities. 

GPE financing campaign 

GPE launched an ambitious financing campaign at the UN General Assembly in September to mobilize $5 billion and unlock an additional $10 billion for education, multiplying learning possibilities for 750 million children in 96 countries.

Co-hosted by Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GPE’s campaign aims to turn the tide on the global learning crisis as the world stands at an inflection point.

Read the case for investment: https://www.globalpartnership.org/funding/replenishment/financing-gpe-2030

For further information, please contact:

Tamara Kummer, GPE Head of Communications
tkummer@globalpartnership.org
Tel: +1 202 948 5395

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d3d8bda-a7fd-4128-aeec-f34d247c3f74

Syria Return to School

Sarah, a 10-year-old student from north-east Syria, enrolled in an intensive educational program supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Save the Children to prepare her to return to formal school after the end of the conflict in Syria. This month marks a turning point for Syria's children. After more than a decade of crisis and disrupted education, a powerful shift is underway—a movement to bring children not just back into classrooms, but back into hope and opportunity. (Delil Souleiman/Save the Children/GPE via AP Content Services)

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