Turkish aid agencies open school in Syria's Idlib

By Burak Karacaoglu, Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria

Turkish aid agencies on Wednesday opened a school for refugees in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.

The school -- built in cooperation with the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and Bursa-based Fetihder foundation -- will provide education to 300 children living in refugee camps.

The Muhammed Musab primary in the Kammunah region of rural Idlib has 10 classrooms and 17 teaching staff.

Suayip Altun, IHH's field coordinator in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency that they will continue to support educational activities in Syria.

"Children who will shape the future of Syria cannot receive proper education in the country," Altun said.

Altun said IHH also repairs schools destroyed by Bashar al-Assad regime.

The charity group has been helping war victims since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Speaking at the school's opening ceremony, Yilmaz Bulat, head of the Fetihder association, said that lots of children were deprived of educational opportunities due to the war in Syria.

He noted that Fetihder continues its relief works in Syria in many areas including food, shelter, health and education.

Bulat also said the association will open another school and orphanage in the coming days.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.