Damascus, Feb. 19, (dpa/GNA) – Schools in Syria’s coastal city of Latakia have been doubly affected by the earthquake, which struck the war-torn country earlier this month.
Some schools in the city were damaged by the February 6 quake while others have turned into sheltering facilities for the displaced, landing the schoolchildren’s parents in a dilemma.
“The two schools where my children used to study have been left out from the list of the reopened schools announced by the Latakia education directorate,” Hossam Hassan, a local government employee, said.
“One school has been damaged by the quake while the second has turned into a sheltering centre,” added Hassan, who lives with his family in a populous Latakia neighbourhood.
He told dpa that the situation is taking its toll on his life and budget.
“This will change my life routine to cope with my children’s change in school attendance and schedule. This is true for thousands of parents. The situation will place a financial burden equal to half of my salary if my children are transferred to a school in central Latakia,” Hassan said.
More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the quake in Latakia, prompting authorities to convert schools to shelter them.
The closure of some schools in Latakia and overcrowding in others have forced many locals, who have houses in the countryside, to leave to find schooling alternatives for their children.
Mazen Ahmed, a father of two schoolchildren, said class overcrowding in the city makes him think of moving to his home village, around 25 kilometres from Latakia.
“Hundreds of schools have been destroyed, or damaged. Rebuilding and repairing them are unlikely to finish before the end of this year, which means our children will miss out on the school year,” he said.
There are 1,200 schools in the eponymous province of which Latakia is the capital city.
Some 250 schools have been damaged by the quake, including 100 which have become so unsafe that they must be removed, according to a local education official.
“Schools in Latakia serve more than 268,000 pupils. Due to overcrowding, 75% of the schools operate for two shifts in the morning and the evening,” said the director of the Latakia education department, Omran Abu Khalil.
“A large number of schools in Latakia are more than 40 years old. Therefore, the percentage of [quake] damage among them was high,” he added.
At least 1,400 schools have been damaged by the quake in the government-ruled areas in Syria, according to official figures.
GNA