Syria reopens Idlib school shuttered for 60 years

Syria's Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed al-Saleh presided over the reopening of the Holy Land School in the Jisr al-Shughur area of northern Idlib province on Sunday, ending a closure that had lasted nearly six decades. "After being closed for nearly 60 years by the Baath Party and the Bashar al-Assad regime, we took part today in reopening the Holy Land School in the Jisr al-Shughur area," Saleh said in a statement.

The minister described the ceremony as a milestone in Syria's transition following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024. "This scene is part of the Syria we dreamed of -- a Syria for all its people," he said, adding that the event represented a step toward national reconciliation and reconstruction.

Damaged infrastructure and reconstruction

The school sustained damage from shelling during the Syrian revolution, which began with mass protests in 2011 and culminated in the regime's overthrow late last year. Al-Saleh did not specify the exact date when the Baath Party ordered the institution closed or provide details regarding the grade levels and student enrollment capacity now restored, leaving questions about the facility's operational scope.

The reopening forms part of a wider campaign to rehabilitate educational facilities across Idlib province, where dozens of institutions have resumed operations following the December 2024 transition. In June, 50 schools renovated under the "Loyalty to Idlib" initiative reopened during a ceremony in Kafr Nabl attended by Saleh and Idlib Governor Mohammad Abdulrahman, signaling accelerated reconstruction efforts in the region.