The Syrian Ministry of Education and Al-Wafaq Humanitarian Foundation (WHF), reopened Douma’s High School in the Damascus countryside after its restoration. Comprising 51 classrooms and administrative halls it is equipped to accommodate 1,300 students at the beginning of the new school year.
The school includes a prayer room, a conference hall, specialized areas for Quraric studies and another for the Arabic language, as well as activities room, library, IT and science labs, and football and basketball courts.
The Governor of Damascus countryside, Amer al-Sheikh, said the renovated school was over 100 years old, but was destroyed by the Assad regime during the years of the blessed revolution.
He said, “With Syria’s victory, its liberation, and the return of the displaced, we celebrate today the restoration of this educational edifice and we’ll dedicate our efforts to ensuring the future of our children, enabling them to become future leaders.”
Sheikh thanked the contributing international organizations, expressing his pride that the school would be a beacon of knowledge which future generations would be proud of contributing to the building and reconstruction of Syria.
Director of Damascus countryside education department, Fadi Nahzat, noted that the 100-year-old school is now more beautiful and innovative, meeting international standards. At the beginning of the new school year, it will welcome 1,300 male and female students, distributed across 51 classrooms and administrative halls.
Muhammad al-Hanoun, Director of School Buildings at the Ministry of Education, pointed out that the restoration work was carried out in cooperation with WHF. The project began last March in preparation for their return to service at the beginning of the new school year. He noted that the Ministry is working to restore 35 schools in the governorate, with 17 schools completed, and work is continuing to complete the restoration of all destroyed schools.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the WHF, Abdul Hamid al-Ghuthani, emphasized that this achievement reflects Syria’s renaissance, and that rebuilding the school is not merely a matter of reopening its doors, but rather a message of hope to promote education and rebuild the character of future generations.
Executive Director of WHF, Muhammad Awamah, pointed out that Douma has made great sacrifices, and that restoring its schools represents a beacon of hope and ambition, and supporting education is a national responsibility.
Adel Tuna, from the Rahma Humanitarian Foundation, said, “Douma, which paid a heavy price for freedom, believes that the blood of its martyrs will encourage construction and sacrifice for the homeland.”
Sheikh Muhammad Mujir, a preacher at Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, said the construction of this school enshrines the value of knowledge and affirms that building the human being is the duty of prophets and scholars, and solidarity and cooperation are necessary to rebuild what has been destroyed.
This step comes within the framework of the Ministry of Education’s plans aimed at improving the school situation and creating a healthy and safe environment supporting the educational process and ensuring its continuity under ideal conditions for students and teachers alike.
