Edouard Beigbeder is the Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa of the United Nations Childhood Fund (UNICEF), Syria has visited three times since the fall of the Bashar al Asad regime on December 8 and has witnessed of the changes that the country has experienced, as well as the great challenges facing this new stage.
Beigbeder attends Eldiario.es desires the Syrian city of Aleppo (Northwest) and describes the ease with which he and his team have been able to access all the areas of Syria, except the Northeast, where there is still an active conflict. The general director considers that “the situation is difficult because the country is 14 years of war” and basic services hardly work. The poor state of the educational and health system stands out, and how this affects the little ones. Almost 2.5 million children are not schooling in Syria and another million could leave school if the transition does not respond to their needs.
Apart from the reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure, including thousands of educational centers, there is the danger of mines and projectiles that have not exploited, and that cause wounds to four children every day, according to the data provided by Beigbeder. “We need a disclosure and awareness campaign around this problem,” he says.
How many displaced boys and girls are there right now in Syria?
The data is changing, but we estimate that children are about 50% of those displaced, about 3.5 million. The displaced people want to go back [a sus zonas] But naturally, when they return to where they left, there is no water, there are no accommodations for everyone or need to be repaired. There are no schools, there are no health centers or there are either resources to live as when they left. So for the 7 million people who want to return it is not easy to make this decision and, in fact, we see that they are returning, but not as many as we could expect. They are waiting and seeing.
Some of the displaced children have been able to have some type of informal education or have been in schools of different types. There are about 1,200 schools between Idlib and the northern zone, but not everyone has been able to go to school. Many children have been working in the fields to win something for their families. In addition, the quality of education has undoubtedly retreated in these 14 years [de conflicto] and during the 7 or 12 years of displacement, according to the family.
Apart from those displaced, how has the education of all children since 2011 been affected?
The schools were open [al principio]but little by little they deteriorated, either because of the conflict or the lack of maintenance and minimum investments in the centers. The number of schools decreased and most centers had two shifts – a morning shift and a turn in the afternoon – to be able to deal with the situation.
I have visited some schools, some have been rehabilitated basically, others no and have no heating. There are no enough school materials. The teachers did not receive their salary last month [diciembre] And when they received it it was 30 or 40 dollars a month. It is a very desperate situation but, at the same time, parents are eager to send children to school. This dichotomy between the will of parents and children to go to school, and what is offered to them is very sad.
Is rebuilding the educational system one of the main challenges of the new authorities?
I think it is one of the biggest challenges. There are thousands of schools that need to be rehabilitated, at the same time, the new authorities and the new Ministry of Education are talking about the curriculum: we need authorities to ensure that the curriculum remains inclusive. Naturally, they may have to make some change in the old curriculum because some areas were linked to the previous regime, but I think everyone is eager to have an inclusive curriculum.
We have had good conversations [con las autoridades] And guarantees that the curriculum will remain inclusive, and if there are suggestions to improve it, they will speak with entities and experts specialists in education, that has reassured us.
An important part is how to train and motivate teachers. The authorities say that wages are going to raise, but that depends on public finances and what kind of support they can get to make payments. After so many years, we need to invest in the rehabilitation of the schools that allow us, say, a minimum schooling; And, in some places, that is accompanied by the return of the displaced and refugees. There are some small villages, who were controlled by the opposition and that are completely empty, [a ellos] We have to arrive with a package of services, educators and water. From UNICEF we are working on this package.
Do you think that in September 2025, most children can return to school?
Parents want to send children to school. For them education is very important, so I think that part of the return [a sus zonas de origen] It will be linked to the new school year 2025/2026. But these places have to prepare for that important moment. The population has told us that to return they need income, first, what kind of livelihood can obtain; and second, education and services, water supply.
Some people are returning, but not many. Most are waiting to understand how the situation will evolve, included from the political point of view, but also because they need to understand what their livelihood will be and if the return will bring a better future for their children.
Now we are doing damage evaluations. Only to rehabilitate, not to improve, existing infrastructure damages will be needed at least 10,000 million dollars for the education sector. We think there are between 3,000 and 4,000 schools to rehabilitate. We need to start to help Syria reconstruct their infrastructure. We are dealing with 50 years of abandonment and 14 years of conflict, and there is still no capable authority [de hacerlo].
What is the other great challenge in relation to children who have only known war?
An important risk is that they are forgotten, if we do not concentrate sufficiently on the education and early development of children.
For war generation, we need education, including peace education. We need to work with those who have experienced more traumas and have a specific program for them. Some [niños y niñas] They have lived the bombings, have lived the displacement and be refugees in host countries where they do not treat them well. So there are many traumas that have to digest.
And we need to raise things with positive thought, so that when they are growing they can learn about their skills and what will allow them to enter adulthood. Therefore, it is important is a program for adolescents that we have for the transition of adolescents towards specific skills, whether vocational or either the institute or university.
The little ones also suffer the effects of poverty and food insecurity …
Nutrition was not a problem in Syria until a few years ago, but it has become a problem due to poverty. [Muchos sirios] They make only one meal a day or not eat regularly, so we see more and more malnutrition. And this is worrying because it means that it is only the tip of the iceberg. We need programs to help them through the health system, first to identify cases [de desnutrición] and then follow up. Through the health system we can treat them, but to prevent them from returning [a sufrir desnutrición] It has to be through their parents, that they have livelihood and access to cash.
Peace will help because peace will bring development. And when I talk about peace I do not speak of the absence of war, but that all Syrians join with a vision for a prosperous Syria. When this happens, we can help them, with other partners from neighboring countries. First we need to build this trust and then move from the emergency, which is where we are now, to recovery and development. Trust is the first thing and we have to see how it is consolidated, it is very important that, little by little, the confidence we are seeing in the words is accompanied by actions. We have to give a chance for the change to take place.
Do you think that building this trust is possible, after what you have seen during your visit to Syria?
We are hopeful and we need to be, because Syrians need an opportunity to change the narrative. Giving a chance means that we are here to support them, but they are the ones who have to lead [el proceso] and give us space for us to support them. We have told the Syrian authorities: “We are here, help us support you.”
The authorities are the ones that speak of building a prosperous and prosperous Syria, of providing education, health and water. UNICEF and other UN agencies are working on what are government priorities.
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