Muhannad Al-Horani, Baladi News, Daraa
Middle school examinations have started on Sunday morning in the regime-held regions. The Syrian regime took advantage of this occasion to present itself as a civil democratic ruler who is keen on the peoples' interests, elevating the status of educational process and guaranteeing the children rights in education and academic attainments. It's a curious paradox that the same regime has killed thousands of children and displaced millions of others along with depriving them of their right in living peacefully.
In spite of his false claims, Syrian regime and its security branches are working on depriving thousands of students in the opposition-held areas of taking the exams and completing their education.
16-year-old Mouaz from Daraa is one of the students who were banned from taking the middle school exams by the regime thugs. He says to Baladi News: the regime has started arresting the militants' families of the free army, so I didn't dare to travel to the exam centers in the regime-held areas".
"All the exam centers in the liberated areas have closed, while teachers either emigrated or quit teaching due to the deteriorating living conditions. We suffered from harassment by regime forces at the checkpoints, which confused and threw us off balance before the exams. We felt that we are going to a battlefield not a school", he added.
Consequently, Mouaz decided not to take the exams after intimidation by the regime thugs as he belongs to a rebellious family. The decision of Mouaz is not the only in Daraa in particular or in Syria in general, as the regime thugs continue their provocative policy against students of different grades whether secondary, high or even university to deprive tens of thousands of students of completing their education lest they become an easy prey to the blackmail of regime thugs.
Over the last five years, students of different stages were subjected to kidnapping, killing or arresting whether in the universities of Aleppo, Homs or Hama or even in the mid or high schools. Two month ago, two students were killed with cold blood in the tunnel of Homs University by regime thugs. Moreover, many students were also kidnapped by the thugs of Al-Fu'ah town in Idlib which resulted in depriving thousands of students of their right of education amidst the inability of the educational institutions in the liberated areas to contain all the students and ensure all the educational process requirements especially in its high stages.