College students have returned to lecture rooms in Syria after authorities ordered colleges reopened, in a potent signal of some normalcy every week after opposition fighters swept into the capital in a dramatic overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
The nation’s new de facto chief, Ahmad al-Sharaa, faces an enormous problem to rebuild Syria after 13 years of warfare that killed tons of of hundreds of individuals. Cities had been bombed to ruins, the economic system was gutted by worldwide sanctions and tens of millions of refugees nonetheless dwell in camps exterior Syria.
Officers stated most faculties had been opening across the nation on Sunday, the primary day of the working week in most Arab states. Nonetheless, some mother and father weren’t sending their youngsters to class resulting from uncertainty over the state of affairs.
Pupils waited cheerfully within the courtyard of a boys’ highschool in Damascus on Sunday morning and applauded as the college secretary, Raed Nasser, hung the flag adopted by the brand new authorities.
“All the things is sweet. We’re absolutely geared up. We labored two, three days to equip the college with the wanted companies for the scholars’ protected return,” Nasser stated, including the Jawdat al-Hashemi College had not been broken.
In a single classroom, a scholar pasted the brand new flag on a wall.
“I’m optimistic and really blissful,” stated scholar Salah al-Din Diab. “I used to stroll on the street scared that I’d get drafted to navy service. I was afraid after I reached a checkpoint.”