Silva Ibrahim

Kobani – The recent attacks on the city of Kobani have caused a near-total paralysis of the education sector. Practical exams at the university have been suspended, and student housing has been evacuated to be converted into centers for sheltering displaced people, amid warnings that the educational crisis will worsen unless the siege is lifted and normal life resumes in the city.

The recent attacks on the city of Kobani have cast a shadow over the educational reality, as nearly 72 primary, middle, and high school students in Kobani and its countryside have been deprived of education, while 1,200 students have been prevented from continuing their studies at the University of Kobani.

In this context, the co-chair of the University of Kobani, Khazna Ibrahim, stated that the events the city of Kobani witnessed—attacks and siege—have reflected on the educational reality, and the University of Kobani had its share of these repercussions, as the educational process at the university came to a halt. She pointed out that "the scientific department at the university had begun practical exams, but they were not completed due to what the city witnessed."

She reported that 1,200 students have been kept away from their seats of learning, while some of the students who were residing in university dormitories are from the Jazira Canton and the occupied cities of Shahba and Afrin. "There are two student dormitories in Kobani, one housing 85 students and the other housing nearly 100 students. Both dormitories were completely evacuated during the recent attacks and converted into centers for sheltering the displaced."

She affirmed that resuming the educational process at the university is linked to the general situation, the implementation of the agreement, the lifting of the siege on the city, and the return of normal life. Regarding the first-semester exams for students residing in the Jazira Canton, she explained, "We will conduct exams for the students of Jazira who cannot take exams in Kobani due to road conditions, at Rojava University in Qamishlo city, under the supervision of the faculties there affiliated with their departments."

She explained that the continuation of the siege on Kobani will cast a shadow over the educational reality, stressing the necessity of implementing the terms of the agreement for the students to return to their seats of study.