Nearly two years after the fall of Assad, Syrian children return to school amid ruins

School bells are ringing again across Syria, but for thousands of children, the return to class offers little relief, with each school day a reminder of what the war has taken.

Eight-year-old Tasnim walks several kilometres home after classes each day, passing streets marked by destruction and the ruins of another school not far from her house.

Her family came back to Syria two years ago, not by choice but because they had nowhere else to go.

"When we returned to Damascus, I signed up for a school here. Because the schools near our house are all devastated and out of service, I moved to a school far away. Going back and forth is hard to do every day. I wish the nearby schools weren't damaged," Tasnim said.

Over three million displaced Syrians had returned home by December 2025, a year after the fall of the Assad regime, according to the UN refugee agency. 

Amid the rubble of Damascus, Tasnim's house is still standing. With no electricity to light the room, she studies only in daylight.

"When I come back from school, I help my dad with his work, and sometimes I go with him to send his work to his employer. Then I come back to study during the day, as the battery runs out of power at night and there's no light. After that, I go to bed," she said.

Between damaged walls and broken doors, Tasnim's father works as a cobbler. With his daughter's help, he can get more work done and earn a little extra to support the family.

"The services here are crippled, especially as no electricity grid is available. We need solar power, but most people can't afford it," said Mahmoud Rushdi, Tasnim's father.

"There are a lot of risks also, as the area is deserted and abandoned, and when our children go to school, we worry about them being kidnapped. Living in such a place requires a high level of caution," he added.

More than 7,000 schools in Syria have been damaged or destroyed by years of conflict, leaving thousands of children struggling for an education. Syria's efforts to get its children back into classrooms remain one of the country's biggest challenges.