From Rehabilitation to Fostering Recovery and Stability ... Hatla Al-Sharqiya School in Rural Deir ez-Zor Regains Its Readiness
With the increasing educational needs in areas where families are returning and settling, the importance of comprehensive rehabilitation and equipping of schools is highlighted, to ensure the continuity of education and provide a suitable environment for students.
In this context, and with the aim of supporting the educational sector and enhancing the foundations of stability in the eastern rural area of Deir ez-Zor, GOPA-DERD’s team inaugurated Hatla Al-Sharqiya School following the completion of its rehabilitation, restoration, and equipping works, with support from SHF.
The opening was attended by a delegation from the Directorate of Education and a number of local community members in the village. The school principal, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Aboud, pointed out the significant impact of the rehabilitation works in expanding the school’s capacity. Whereas the school was only able to accommodate about 300 students in the previous academic year, it has welcomed more than 800 male and female students across various academic stages this year, contributing to easing the burdens on hundreds of families and securing educational opportunities for their children within their own village.
The school consists of three buildings, one of which was completely destroyed. GOPA-DERD’s team undertook its rebuilding and rehabilitation from scratch, alongside comprehensive maintenance works that included doors, windows, painting, tiling, completely modernizing the electrical network, and establishing a new sewage system, in addition to drilling a water well and equipping it with a pump to ensure a continuous water supply.
The rehabilitation works also included equipping the classrooms with new school furniture and installing an integrated solar energy system, thereby supporting the continuity of the educational process and improving school conditions for students and teaching staff.
The rehabilitation of Hatla Al-Sharqiya School is of particular importance given the growing number of families returning to and settling in the area, coinciding with a severe shortage of rehabilitated schools compared to the increasing population growth in the rural areas of Deir ez-Zor. This makes the school a vital educational space that contributes to accommodating the rising number of students and enhancing their access to education opportunities.