EU creates education fund for opposition-held Syria

By Ata Ufuk Seker

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Union on Wednesday revealed plans to donate €10 million (around $11 million) to support education in opposition-controlled areas of war-torn Syria.

“European Union funds will help the Education Directorates to meet the basic living needs of the teachers and staff as well as to address issues of access and quality to schooling,” a statement from the bloc said.

The EU said its support would pay 11,000 teachers and education official in Idlib, Aleppo, Dera'a and rural Damascus.

It aims to cover at least 450,000 students across 2,000 schools, according to the EU.

Since the civil war in Syria erupted in March 2011, more than 250,000 people have been killed, according to the UN. The Syrian Center for Policy Research puts the death toll at more than 470,000.

Talks in Geneva between the regime of Bashar al-Assad and Syrian opposition forces are continuing this week.