New education project aims to support Syria’s rebuild

Dubai: A communications and education advisory group is expanding its work into Syria, seeking to apply lessons from the UAE’s public-private education model to a country facing a major shortage of schools, teachers and job-ready skills.

Saaba Communications says its focus in Syria will extend beyond rebuilding classrooms to developing an education system aligned with the skills needed by a changing economy, including digital technology, artificial intelligence, hospitality, construction and mechanical trades.

The move comes as Syria faces a significant education deficit. According to UNICEF figures cited by the company, about 2.45 million children were out of school in 2025, while roughly 8,000 schools were no longer functioning.

Some rehabilitation is already under way, with 78 schools reportedly rehabilitated, 126 prefabricated classrooms built, two million textbooks distributed and more than 20,000 people trained in education. But the scale of the challenge remains substantial.

“Addressing the Syrian educational gap is much greater than repairing classrooms and handing out textbooks,” said Dr. Ruwayda Mustafah, head of Saaba Communications.

“The crux of Syrian educational rehabilitation lies in the fact that a large portion of the population has missed out on their conventional schooling period, too old to return to formally complete their education. They lack employable skills and are desperately seeking a route into an increasingly modern, globalised and competitive Syrian labour market,” she added.

Saaba sees vocational education as an important part of the response, particularly for people who have missed conventional schooling and need a pathway into employment.

The Dubai experience provides a reference point for the group’s approach. The emirate has developed a large private-school sector serving students from different nationalities and curricula, while also encouraging collaboration between government, education providers and the private sector.

Dubai had 227 private schools in 2025, with students representing 185 nationalities and 17 curricula, according to UAE national statistics cited by Saaba.

The UAE has also increasingly linked education and skills development to the needs of a knowledge-based economy. Public-private initiatives in areas such as artificial intelligence, vocational education and teacher training are designed to ensure that education keeps pace with changing labour-market requirements.

Saaba says some of these lessons can be adapted to Syria, while recognising the vastly different circumstances facing the country.

“Rebuilding the Syrian educational system means deeply understanding what kind of education people will need for the economy Syria is currently building and not making decisions based on pre-wartime Syrian conditions,” Dr Mustafah said.

The company has established an advisory board that includes former Scottish education minister Raymond Robertson, UAE University academics Dr Negmeldin Alsheikh and Dr Al-Mothana Gasaymeh, among others.

The group plans to support teacher training, digital education, AI-related skills and curriculum development, while connecting public-sector education systems with private-sector expertise.

For Syria, the objective is to build an education system that not only brings children back into classrooms but also helps adults and young people acquire skills needed for employment.

The expansion represents an effort to take regional education expertise beyond the Gulf and apply it to one of the region’s most significant education-rebuilding challenges,” said Dr Mustafah.