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Days After Its Renovation, Al-Maari Girls’ Secondary School in Al-Bukamal Looted and Vandalized
Al-Maari Girls’ Secondary School in the city of Al-Bukamal, eastern Deir ez-Zor, was looted and vandalized shortly after the completion of renovation and rehabilitation work.
Al-Furat newspaper quoted local sources as saying that unidentified individuals broke into the school, removed and stole its doors and windows, and looted a number of devices, equipment, and supplies inside the building. The incident sparked widespread anger among local residents, particularly amid the repeated targeting of educational facilities.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education condemned the theft, stressing that the school had recently been renovated to serve local residents and provide female students with a suitable learning environment.
The ministry said that the incident would not deter it from continuing its efforts to rehabilitate and equip damaged schools across the country. It added that it would restore the school and ensure its return to operation.
The ministry also emphasized that protecting educational facilities is a shared responsibility between the relevant authorities and the local community, since schools belong to all students and attacks against them violate their right to receive an education in a safe and appropriate environment.
It called on residents and local community groups to cooperate in protecting schools and preserving their equipment and facilities, as well as to report any acts of vandalism or attacks targeting them.
The incident is part of a series of attacks against educational facilities in various parts of Syria. In 2018, Ayouba School in Quneitra was reportedly robbed, while several schools in Homs were targeted in 2022, with computers and quantities of heating fuel stolen.
