Girls' school attendance in rural areas decreasing

Although access to schools for girls and boys has improved significantly throughout Syria, statistics from the Ministry of Education show that the rate of girls' attendance is falling, compared to previous years, especially in rural areas. The main reasons for this are financial constraints, lack of education of parents and early marriage, according to studies conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). In rural areas for example, the drop-out levels in basic education (between the ages of seven and 16) increased from 3,312 out of a total 430,894 enrolled children in 2003 to 11,717 out of 451,571 enrolled children in 2004. "My parents forced me to leave school when I was in the sixth grade," Maryam, 20, told IRIN in Damascus. Maryam's father is a labourer and her mother is a domestic worker. The main reason for her having to leave was financial. "My father could not afford to send me to school and I had to assist in household labour and look after my sisters and brothers." With five girls and three boys in the family, all left school before finishing basic education because the father was unable to pay, and saw education as useless for both girls and boys, she explained. Maryam lives in the Mukhayyam al-Wafideen suburb of Damascus and is married and working as a domestic worker like her mother. She said she was sad to leave school but had no choice. "I will work hard so that my children continue their schooling and enter university," she maintained. "I left school when I was in the eighth grade. My father is illiterate and did not care at all when I left school," Nada, 22, told IRIN in Damascus. "I did not like going to school because it was difficult for me to understand the curriculum. I found nobody to guide me in my study," she added. Nada has three younger sisters. Two left school at the age of 14 whilst the youngest, Amneh, is still studying, but will also soon leave. "I don't get good marks and no-one encourages me to continue," Amneh told IRIN. Quality teaching is a barrier to children's education, Maha, a mother of three, told IRIN. "My daughter is now in the seventh grade. She was able to read and write only when she was in the fourth grade!" In addition, teachers lack training and the teacher-to-pupil ratio exceeds 45-55 children per teacher, Maha said. "Poverty, ignorance and an uncaptivating school are major reasons for girls' drop-out, especially in rural areas," Prof. Antoun Rahmeh, head of the college of education at Damascus University, told IRIN. The financial pressure on the family is the main factor forcing families to take their daughters out of school early. They either work with their parents in the fields or get other jobs, Rahmeh added. This is due to a large family size, low per capita income and the conviction of parents that education is irrelevant for girls' traditional role in life as wives and mothers. In addition, many girls aged between 12 and 15 years get married early in rural areas. Therefore they are unable to continue their education, he explained. "It is necessary to brief girls on the benefits of education. They must feel supported by the family and community and, most important, they must enjoy learning and be guided by teachers who are confident in their role," said Rahmeh. "Education is the best investment that a country can get. It has an impact on the family, children and the economy," Mamadou Kiari Liman-Tinguiri, UNICEF resident representative in Damascus, told IRIN. "There is no gender gap in Syria at all, except in some pockets in northern and eastern governorates where there is early girls' drop-out from school," he added. In order to encourage children to attend school, UNICEF, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, is working to create a safe and friendly environment for children in schools, while teachers are being better trained, Tinguiri pointed out. Khairiyeh Mahmoud, Deputy Director of the government's "Basic Education" project, told IRIN that huge efforts were being made with the implementation of compulsory and free basic education to all children in the first to ninth grades. "The drop out rate of girls especially in rural areas is an issue of increasing concern to the Ministry of Education and so is the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning, and these are our objectives," Khairiyeh added. She added that the ministry had launched a process of re-integration of girls who had dropped out of school, especially in rural areas, in addition to awareness-raising activities. The project covers the worst affected areas in five northern and eastern governorates in Syria: Aleppo, 355 km north of Damascus (5.3 percent drop-out rate), Idleb, 322 km north of Damascus (17 percent), Raqqa, 547 km northeast of Damascus (34 percent), Hassaka, 642 km northeast of Damascus (8.1 percent) and Deir Ezzor, 421 km northeast of Damascus (38 percent). The project also targets girls aged 10-17 who did not enter school at all or who have left school. The primary education curriculum of regular schools was condensed by the Ministry of Education to be taught in three years (the third primary level) instead of six. The length of primary education in Syria is six years. Offering girls basic education, especially in rural areas, will enable them to make choices over the kind of life they wish to lead. "Everyone who has a connection with children is responsible for their school drop-out," Ahmed, a religious studies teacher, told IRIN.