Raqqa learning recovery program targets thousands of students

The program is being implemented by the Raqqa Education Directorate in cooperation with the Gold Charitable Association and with support from UNICEF. It comes as education authorities seek to reorganize the sector in Raqqa governorate after years of military and administrative changes that affected schools and students and created learning gaps among a broad segment of pupils.

The first phase will serve 2,880 male and female students and continue through the end of November 2026. A second phase, running through May 2027, will target the same number, bringing the total number of beneficiaries in Raqqa and Tabqa to 5,760 students.

Mohammad al-Salmo, head of the Educational Training Division at the Rehabilitation and Training Department of the Raqqa Education Directorate, said the program was launched in response to the circumstances the governorate experienced in recent years.

He said the initiative seeks to address learning loss, provide students with equal educational opportunities, and prepare them for the basic education and general secondary certificate examinations.

In remarks carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, al-Salmo said the program is being implemented in 12 schools across Raqqa and Tabqa, including eight schools in Raqqa city and four in Tabqa.

He added that the schools were selected with the governorate’s geographic distribution in mind. Experienced and qualified teachers were also chosen and trained in active learning methods and student assessment techniques.

The program includes dedicated classes for ninth-grade students and general secondary students in the scientific and literary streams.

Ali al-Arrab, project director at the Gold Charitable Association, said each participating school has two classes for ninth-grade students, two for scientific-track students, and two for literary-track students.

Al-Arrab said the project aims to compensate for learning loss caused by large numbers of students dropping out of school. It also provides free lessons amid the rising cost of private tutoring, helping students improve academically and prepare for their examinations.

Years of educational disruption in Raqqa

Raqqa governorate was controlled in recent years by the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, which established its administration across large parts of the governorate after expelling the Islamic State group in 2017.

During that period, the education sector underwent changes related to curricula and educational administration.

Schools in SDF-controlled areas adopted their own curricula, which differed in some respects from Syria’s official curricula. This caused widespread controversy, particularly for students seeking to sit official examinations administered by the Syrian Ministry of Education.

The education sector also faced several challenges, including schools being taken out of service during the years of war, shortages of teaching staff, and students leaving school because of economic and security conditions.

These factors contributed to higher dropout rates in parts of the governorate.

During that period, some students faced difficult choices between continuing their education under the curricula used in Autonomous Administration areas and leaving school altogether.

Others struggled to move between different education systems, particularly while preparing for public certificate examinations.

Military changes bring education back into focus

Large areas of northern and eastern Syria have experienced military developments since the beginning of 2026, leading to changes in military and administrative control in several locations, including Raqqa governorate.

Following military movements, the Syrian army gained control of Raqqa governorate, which had previously been under SDF influence. The development brought the status of government institutions, including the education sector, back into focus.

These developments coincided with efforts to reconnect educational institutions to the Syrian Ministry of Education’s official structure and address gaps that accumulated during the years of SDF control.

Particular attention has been given to students who dropped out of school or were educated under a system different from the official one.

The academic support program in Raqqa and Tabqa is one initiative intended to address the effects of that period. It offers free remedial lessons to students preparing for public certificate examinations in an effort to narrow educational gaps and help them resume their studies.

Several participating students expressed satisfaction with the program’s launch, according to SANA. They said it provided them with free lessons close to their homes and helped them recover material they had missed in previous years and prepare more effectively for their examinations.

Raqqa governorate continues to face major educational challenges, including the need to rehabilitate schools, support teaching staff, and address the effects of prolonged instability.

These efforts are taking place amid attempts to rebuild the education system and ensure that students have access to schooling under unified standards.

[Source: Enab Baladi English]