Agricultural vocational secondary schools in Syria face intertwined challenges hindering the development of education and training, foremost among them the damage to a large number of their facilities and the need to update their equipment and curricula, as well as low student enrollment and limited funding required to rehabilitate them to ensure meeting the needs of the agricultural sector and the labor market.
The head of the Agricultural Education and Training Department, Nayefah Qadri, stated in a statement to SANA today, Tuesday, that the number of agricultural vocational secondary schools in Syria is 46 schools distributed across various governorates, noting that 31 of them suffered damage or went out of service in recent years, necessitating work to rehabilitate them and improve the reality of education and training within them.
Qadri clarified that agricultural secondary schools, with their agricultural, veterinary, and agricultural machinery branches, are distributed as one secondary school each in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Sweida, Quneitra, and Al-Hasakah, two in Daraa and Latakia, three in Homs, four in Tartus, five each in Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, and Idlib, six in Hama, and nine in Aleppo.
She pointed out that Afreen secondary school has been rehabilitated, while 29 secondary schools still need renovation, explaining that the Ministry currently gives priority to production projects while including the rehabilitation of secondary schools in its plans according to available capacities, especially since implementing these projects is linked to the availability of financial liquidity.
Qadri highlighted the availability of standard equipment and laboratories in the headquarters of several secondary schools, including those in Salamiyah, Latakia, Tartus, Sheikh Badr, Damascus, Darayya, Baniyas, Jableh, Quneitra, Homs, Al-Mukhrim, Hama, and Masyaf, affirming the commitment of teaching staff to attendance and approved curricula.
Regarding the development of the educational process, Qadri explained that the Ministry is working on updating curricula to align with the needs of the agricultural sector, contributing to enhancing students' practical skills and preparing them to enter the labor market.
She clarified that student enrollment in agricultural education remains generally weak, with the number of students currently registered in the first secondary grade being only about 876 students.
She noted that job opportunities available to graduates include agricultural and veterinary pharmaceutical companies, nurseries, agricultural and veterinary pharmacies, in addition to establishing small projects such as beekeeping, food industries, and agriculture within greenhouses, explaining that specific data on the percentage of graduates joining the labor market is currently unavailable.
Qadri emphasized that securing the necessary financial liquidity constitutes the most prominent challenge facing the rehabilitation and development of agricultural secondary schools, noting that future plans include activating Law No. 38 regarding production farms in agricultural secondary schools, thereby enhancing the practical aspect and linking education to production.
She pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture's directions within its strategy for the 2026-2030 period are based on two main pillars: adopting modern technology and smart agriculture, and expanding the private sector's participation in agricultural production, manufacturing, and marketing, thereby supporting the development of vocational agricultural education and enhancing its role in meeting the needs of the agricultural sector.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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