Restored school opens in area of northern Syria cleared of terrorists by Turkey

By Esref Musa

TEL ABYAD, Syria (AA) – After the completion of restoration efforts, another primary school in an opposition-controlled area of northern Syria cleared of terrorists by Turkish soldiers is welcoming back students.

The Hamam Turkmen primary school is located in the province of Tel Abyad near Turkey’s border, which Turkey liberated in October 2019 with Operation Peace Spring.

Under the coordination of the Provincial Education Directorate in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sanliurfa, the primary school was opened in the village of Hamam Turkmen with the contributions of Pakistan’s Unique Children's Charity (UC3) and Turkey's Gaziantep-based Ansar Charity Association (EIYD).

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mukri Haj Imam, the Tel Abyad education director, thanked everyone who contributed to the opening of the school complex, where there are five buildings.

Imam said the number of schools that have been repaired and maintained in Tel Abyad has risen to 34, adding that 750 primary school students will be educated at the school.

Before the restoration, several students had to share a single chair, making education difficult, said Muhammed Khalaf, the school principal.

These problems have been resolved by the restoration and repair, he said, and now teachers have started to teach at an ideal school.

Sham Ali Jumaa, a sixth grade student, said that he is happy to have a new, clean, and colorful school.

Saying he wants to be a doctor when he grows up, Jumaa said: "This school isn’t like the old one. It’s colorful and all the materials are new."

There are 32,000 students in 284 schools in Tel Abyad and 15,030 students in 160 schools in Ras al-Ayn.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

* Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul