Education Law (Law No. 35 of 1981)

This Law confirms that education is compulsory up to the age of 15 years and is to be free of charge at all stages.

The Syrian Ministry of Education has issued a decision (Decision No. (6/4) 543/2157 of 2013 on Registration and Acceptance in Schools in Basic Education) allowing Directorates of Education and school headmasters to accept children in public schools before (and even during) the school year even where then do not have official IDs or other supporting documents necessary for school enrollment.

However, this Law must be viewed in the context of attacks on schools, particularly by the Syrian government but also other armed actors, during the Syrian Civil War. An estimated 2.45 million children, or one in three, were already out of school by the end of 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquake of 2023 drove further increases in these numbers.

Even in relatively stable areas of the country controlled by the Syrian government, complaints of overcrowding, inadequate security, and poor infrastructure have plagued schools, while contested areas are often dangerous, requiring students to pass through areas of active conflict to get to class or exams.

The lack of access to education has led to an increase in rates of child marriage within Syria and among refugee communities. Girls married young are unlikely to ever return to school, and child marriage has repeatedly been linked to isolation, mental health issues, and decreased access to sexual and reproductive health resources.