SORGUL ŞÊXO

Til Temir – Til Temir is one of the cities located on the front line due to the presence of the Til Temir Military Council and the attacks of the occupying Turkish army. In Til Temir, which belongs to the Cizîr Canton, more than 35 schools under the Education and Teaching Council are under occupation. Some of these schools have been destroyed as a result of the Turkish army's air and ground attacks, while others remain under the threat of attacks.

According to the Til Temir School Administration, more than 7,000 students, both displaced and local, completed the 2024–2025 academic year. Thousands of displaced students and the children of families living in displaced neighborhoods have been deprived of education since 2019. In Til Temir and its rural areas including Serêkaniyê, Til Temir and Zirgan countryside, as well as displaced persons from Afrin  more than 14,000 families, or approximately 72,000 people, live. In this context, the Til Temir School Administration has taken some important steps this year.

Number of students reaches 10,000

Eyhan Yûnis from the Til Temir Schools Administration gave an assessment to our agency regarding the steps taken. Congratulating the students and parents on the occasion of the new academic year, Eyhan Yûnis stated that this year started with enthusiasm and motivation. He noted that the student census has not yet been completed, therefore a general count cannot be made, but so far more than 3,000 students have registered and registrations are still ongoing. Thus, he added, the number of students studying in the Autonomous Administration’s branches and developing their academic levels accordingly has reached 10,000.

Stating that there have been strong demands from families for the opening of new schools, and in line with these demands and the efforts of the School Administration, Eyhan Yûnis said that this year four schools in the frontline villages of Riguba, Micêbira, and Dişîşa, as well as the Seyf El-Dawlê School in the Şehîd Îbrahîm neighborhood of the city, have been reopened. He also noted that these schools, together with their teachers and students, have started the 2024–2025 academic year.

Meal distribution planned in schools

Based on the families’ requests and the data on student numbers provided by the village communes, Eyhan Yûnis said that the demands were evaluated according to the available means and needs, and the schools were reopened accordingly. Noting that two of the schools are also on the front line, he stated: "Two more schools where displaced persons were staying have been evacuated. The displaced were settled in safe houses and places, and the education system in the schools resumed after five years. Due to the high number of students, meal distribution will be carried out in two shifts, in the morning and afternoon."

Call for support

Drawing attention to other schools where refugees are sheltered, Eyhan Yûnis once again expressed their efforts to make the schools available for students and to implement their annual plans. He called on the Autonomous Administration, together with the Education and Teaching Council, to ensure that students are not deprived of their right to education, stating: 'Resettle the refugees in camps so that students can return to their schools. Since the number of students is very high this year, the schools where refugees are accommodated must urgently be evacuated. The reason for the obstacles in housing thousands of students is the Turkish state’s occupation attacks and destruction targeting the schools. For this reason, thousands of students are being deprived of education.

'Students will not be sent to schools on the front line'

Since the beginning of 2023, 16 schools have been vacated of refugees and made available for students. Calling for an end to the Turkish occupation in Til Temir city and its countryside, Eyhan Yûnis emphasized that until the occupation ends, they cannot send students to schools on the front line. Recalling one of the attacks carried out by the Turkish army and its affiliated gangs in the city, he noted that artillery shells fell very close to schools but did not explode, and added: "If the shells had exploded, hundreds of our students could have been killed or injured," drawing attention to the magnitude of the danger.

'Stop the attacks'

Making a promise to the students and their families, Eyhan Yûnis stated that all available resources would be mobilized to ensure that students receive a scientific and proper education and can learn without fear. Finally, he called on international actors to intervene in and stop the Turkish occupation attacks, describing the deprivation of thousands of students from their right to education as a crime. Eyhan Yûnis also stressed that children in North and East Syria should be able to go to school and receive their education without fear, just like children all over the world.