Reconstruction has laid solid foundations for the revitalisation of Syria’s education and health care sectors, setting the stage for a new chapter of growth and opportunity. Building on this early momentum, the government is working to design comprehensive sectoral reforms, drawing on international best practices to ensure lasting impact. While realising the full potential of these sectors will likely require sustained support from global partners, Syria’s broader drive towards political stability and economic growth is expected to create fertile ground for progress.
Structure & Oversight
The education sector is overseen by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHE). The MoE is responsible for developing education reforms and policies, with a focus on rebuilding the system, helping students to return school and achieving universal enrolment. The MoHE oversees the higher education system, setting educational policies, accrediting universities and academic programmes, and coordinating scientific research. The two authorities launched sweeping reforms in 2025 to restore Syria’s education system, rebuild damaged schools and introduce modern examinations. Meanwhile, reforms to secondary and middle school examinations aim to enhance transparency, including publishing practice materials, opening additional examination centres and enhancing anti-cheating controls.
By January 2026 the MoE had completed renovations on 1003 schools, with a further 1015 under renovation, thereby enabling hundreds of thousands of Syrian students to return to school. Years of political fragmentation resulted in different curricula in different parts of the country, complicating the recognition of qualifications. The government has introduced measures to facilitate enrolment and reintegrate returning students. Significant focus has been given to strengthening educational administrative capacity, including rehiring and training teachers. The MoE has reinstated more than 15,000 teachers who were dismissed under the Assad regime.
The MoE and the Syrian Planning and Statistics Authority signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2026 to help strengthen education planning through improved statistical cooperation and evidence-based policymaking. Technical staff will be trained in data collection, monitoring and evaluation, and planning methodologies to align education outcomes with the country’s broader economic and social development priorities, as well as strengthen institutional planning capacity across the sector.
Financing
As part of reconstruction efforts, education funding comes from a range of sources, including the government, foreign governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private actors. A national budget of $10.5bn for 2026 will contribute at least $3bn to infrastructure, including school rebuilding. As part of reconstruction efforts, Syria is working with several international partners, including UN agencies and international education organisations.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced in January 2026 a funding requirement of $481.4m in Syria to assist 7.3m people, including 4.8m children, with 27.8% earmarked for education. As part of its broader 2026 programme targets, UNICEF aims to support over 2.6m children with educational services and supplies in formal settings, offer non-formal education to approximately 600,000 children, and train over 26,500 teachers and educational staff.
Sector Breakdown
The academic year runs from September to June, divided into two semesters. The official language of instruction is Arabic, although a presidential decree in January 2026 recognised Kurdish as a national language and authorised its teaching in public schools to enhance access. The MoE has since issued instructions for teaching in Kurdish and developing Kurdish language curricula. Syria’s education structure consists of non-compulsory, fee-paying, pre-primary education for children aged three to five, followed by nine years of mandatory basic education and three years of secondary education. Secondary education is offered in three-year general secondary schools and three-year technical or vocational schools, after which students can choose whether to study at a public or private university or technical institute.
Public Education
Rebuilding infrastructure and enhancing access to education have been priorities during the early period of reconstruction. The conflict damaged or destroyed around 7000 schools, resulting in millions of children with little to no access to formal education for several years. Children returned to school in September 2025. However, many continue to deal with trauma and face curricula and language challenges. Indeed, in 2025, 37% of the total, or around 2.7m, were not accessing education services, according to a Joint Education Needs Assessment.
UNICEF and other international organisations are supporting the redevelopment of Syria’s education sector, with investment in school rehabilitation, the provision of prefabricated classrooms, teacher training and accelerated learning programmes. Curriculum B – an accelerated learning programme for children who have missed years of education – and self-learning programmes help children who have missed out on years of education catch up with their peers to reintegrate into the formal education system.
Staff
Approximately 150,000 teachers were forced to leave the education system during the conflict, resulting in a shortage of educational staff. This restricted school enrolment in certain parts of the country, such as the north-west. In 2022 around 130,000 teachers were working in central Syria, about 20% of whom were on temporary contracts. An assessment of Northern Syria’s education system for the 2024/25 academic year identified 1.4m students and 61,721 teachers across 4,604 operational schools.
To help recruit more trained teachers, the government announced plans in March 2026 to increase salaries in the education sector. The authorities emphasised that improving teachers’ living conditions would be a direct investment in the quality and stability of education, suggesting that better pay would enhance classroom performance and learning outcomes. This forms part of broader efforts to reform the education system, combining financial support with training and professional development.
Higher Education
Before the conflict, Syria had 20 private universities, nine public universities, six higher institutes – many of which were under the supervision of the University of Damascus – and 201 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutes. Prominent tertiary institutions include the University of Damascus, University of Aleppo, Tishreen University, Homs University – formerly Al Baath University – and Euphrates University. The MoHE has introduced measures to enhance the reintegration of returning students, including extended registration deadlines for university students and conditional exam eligibility, as well as helped facilitate enrolment for returnees.
Survey data highlight the ongoing challenges facing schools. An assessment of over 5000 schools in Northern Syria found that 72% met Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies safety standards, while 19% of classrooms required repairs or additional furniture. Around 8% of students reported feeling unsafe at school, highlighting the need to address physical infrastructure alongside wider barriers to education.
Professional Training
The MoE has launched alternative educational programmes to address the teacher shortage, including apprenticeships, and job readiness and entrepreneurship programmes. In recent years, various civil society organisations – such as Kesh Malek, the Mazaya Women’s Organisation, and the Violet Organisation for Relief and Development – have provided educational and literacy support, vocational training, civic-leadership programmes and teacher training to support reconstruction efforts.
Educational Technology
In addition to rebuilding and renovating schools, the government is working to introduce new educational materials and digital resources. Only around 20% of schools across central Syria were equipped with science laboratories and computers in 2022, while just 16% had functional TVET equipment. During the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers did not have access to digital tools, which limited remote learning. US and EU sanctions against certain Syria-based telecommunications companies further hindered attempts by humanitarian organisations to provide internet-based educational services.
As the education sector continues to rebuild, expanding access to teaching and learning equipment, tools and technology remains an important area of focus, with many schools still awaiting electricity connections. The MoE is already taking meaningful strides to address this gap as part of its broader digital transformation efforts, notably through the introduction of an interactive textbook and a digital library offering millions of educational resources.
Health Oversight
The Ministry of Health (MoH) oversees Syria’s health care sector, including public, private and NGO-led services. The MoH works closely with the Ministry of Finance to secure funding for the sector’s rehabilitation, building momentum after a challenging decade for Syria’s health infrastructure. With around 54% of hospitals and 39% of primary health care centres fully functional as of December 2024, and over 90% of medical equipment more than five years old, there is significant scope for renewal – and initial policy and funding plans are prioritising reconstruction efforts as the foundation for a stronger, more resilient health system ahead.
The MoH launched a National Health Compact (NHC) in December 2025, an overarching strategy focused on mid-term recovery and long-term development of the health care sector. The compact focuses on rebuilding core functions, restoring essential health services, strengthening governance, and shaping a new approach to how health is financed and delivered. The NHC builds upon the MoH Strategic Plan 2026-28, which provides the foundation for early recovery and aims to rebuild trust in public institutions. It reflects the government’s commitment to rebuilding a resilient and equitable health system, with a focus on access to essential, high-quality and affordable services, guided by the principles of universal health coverage (UHC) and national ownership. The NHC also aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Health Structure
The NHC is based around eight pillars: health infrastructure rehabilitation; health workforce development; health financing; essential health service delivery; governance and partnerships; access to medicines and medical products; digital transformation; and health security. It sets out several goals for mid-term development, including expanding access to essential health services to all Syrians and achieving a UHC service coverage index of 70 by 2030; reducing out-of-pocket spending to 40% of total health expenditure by 2030; boosting domestic pharmaceutical production; and laying the groundwork for a coordinated financing strategy that leverages public, private and development partner contributions.
The government has called upon development partners to align efforts with national priorities to build a stronger and more resilient health system and support economic recovery. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international actors such as UNICEF have contributed significantly to delivering emergency care and rebuilding Syria’s health system.
The WHO and its health partners delivered over 1.3m treatment courses and more than 19,000 emergency health kits to health facilities nationwide in the first half of 2025. The entity bolstered disease surveillance and public health preparedness at entry points. It invested in upgrading infrastructure, supplying critical materials, and training frontline health workers in health regulations and standards to enhance early detection and response to potential outbreaks.
Health Spending
During the 2025 to 2027 period, national efforts are expected to concentrate on rehabilitating hospitals and primary health care centres, restoring infrastructure and utilities, improving service readiness and replacing obsolete equipment. The MoH estimates around $750m will be required for health infrastructure rehabilitation. As Syria undergoes economic recovery, GDP is projected to increase from approximately $35.4bn in 2022 to $42bn in 2027, and nearly $55bn by 2030. In line with economic growth, the government plans to increase health care spending as a proportion of the national budget by 0.5% a year, from 7.8% in 2027 to 10.3% in 2030. By 2030, total health expenditure is forecast to reach $2.5bn, or about 4.5% of GDP.
The government aims to shift the focus from stabilisation to long-term stability in the 2027 to 2030 period, with public health spending expected to rise from $395m in 2022 to $965m by 2030, striving for the introduction of health insurance for public employees in 2027. During the transition period, global actors were reluctant to fund certain activities due to uncertainties about US and UK sanctions enforced across various economic sectors under Assad’s leadership, which were lifted in July and April 2025, respectively.
There continue to be significant funding gaps, particularly since the US dismantled the US Agency for International Development and reduced funding to other humanitarian programmes. Progressively reducing reliance on external funding, which is expected to account for 24% of total health expenditure by 2027, is key. External funding is expected to fall to a 20.4% contribution by 2030, as government health spending as a share of total health expenditure increases from 33.9% in 2024 to around 40% by 2030.
Health Indicators
Syria’s recovery is taking place against a backdrop of significant humanitarian need. According to a WHO 2025 Public Health Situation Analysis (PHSA), around 90% of the population was living in poverty in the aftermath of the conflict, with many households relying on humanitarian assistance. The extensive damage to health infrastructure has placed additional pressure on the facilities that remain operational, a challenge further compounded by chronic fuel shortages affecting hospitals and clinics. The number of hospital beds held steady at around 1.4 per 1000 people between 2000 and 2021, underscoring the scale of investment needed to expand capacity.
In 2025 an estimated 65% of the population, or 15.8m people, were in need of essential primary and secondary health assistance. The PHSA also pointed to a heightened risk of infectious and respiratory diseases, linked to limited access to safe water and sanitation, housing pressures, and strained water infrastructure – with at least 10 governorates reporting cholera cases in 2024, highlighting the importance of continued investment in public health systems.
Food insecurity and malnutrition remain significant concerns, particularly among children, reinforcing the importance of integrating nutrition into health and social-support programmes. Conflict-related injuries and infrastructure damage have increased demand for rehabilitation and assistive services, while access remains limited in many areas. Rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, including assistive devices and artificial limbs, are provided through clinics, NGO workshops and hospitals, such as the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration artificial limb centres in rural Damascus and Aleppo.
Demographic changes and the effects of displacement are shaping demand for health services. The fertility rate eased from 3.4 births per woman in 2010 to 2.7 births per woman in 2021. Maternal health remains a key priority, with continued investment needed to help expand access to emergency obstetric and newborn care. As of mid-2026, 78% of medical facilities offered functional basic emergency obstetric and newborn care services.
Gaps in vaccination, water and sanitation infrastructure continue to create risks from infectious diseases, including cholera. Global partners have supported catch-up immunisation campaigns, while tuberculosis incidence has declined. Syria maintains a relatively low HIV prevalence. Non-communicable diseases account for more than 75% of adult deaths, highlighting the growing importance of chronic disease management alongside emergency and infectious-disease care.
Years of conflict, displacement and socioeconomic hardship have increased demand for mental health services. Strengthening access to psychological support and trained professionals will be a key component of health-sector recovery. Alongside this, there has been a rise in reported substance use, with 62% of respondents to a 2024 survey in northern Syria perceiving drug abuse as a rising phenomenon – highlighting the importance of expanding mental health support as part of the sector’s broader recovery.
Primary health care is provided by around 98 public hospitals and 1296 MoH centres and mobile clinics, alongside NGO and private facilities. The government is seeking to expand access to essential services while encouraging private-sector participation in health infrastructure and service delivery.
Private Health Insurance
Many families face high out-of-pocket expenses for essential medical services, which have led people to delay or forgo treatment. Investment in the health sector is expected to reduce health care costs and eventually boost access. Conflict-related disruption has contributed to shortages of medicines and medical supplies. The NHC aims to strengthen supply-chain management, expand domestic pharmaceutical production and establish a National Drug Administration. The government is also seeking international investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing and private health care.
Syria faces significant shortages of doctors, nurses and specialists, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas. The government is developing a 2026-30 workforce strategy focused on recruitment, training and retention, alongside higher public-sector wages. International partnerships are also supporting medical training and knowledge exchange.
Pillar two of the NHC focuses on strengthening health workforce capacity. The MoH aims to develop a Human Resources for Health Roadmap 2026-30, informed by a completed Health Labour Market Analysis, to guide strategies for workforce recruitment, deployment, motivation and retention. Alongside this, the MoH is working to strengthen partnerships with NGOs and international organisations to support technical training, mentoring and knowledge exchange — building a strong foundation for the sector’s long-term workforce development. A presidential decree in March 2026 introduced 50% wage increases for employees in health care and other public sectors, as well as additional compensation of 15% and 10% to employees in remote and semi-remote areas, respectively. This is expected to make the health sector more attractive to prospective medical workers.
The MoH is working with a wide range of international partners to fulfil its staffing needs. The UAE and Syria launched the second phase of a joint medical training programme – Jaheziya Syria – in May 2026, aimed at improving Syria’s ability to respond to emergencies and disasters. Over 400 frontline health care workers received training in phase one, while phase two will support the training of up to 10,000 health care professionals over the next five years.
The MoH also launched a Saudi-supported virtual volunteer programme in collaboration with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre in April 2026, aimed at training more than 18,000 health care workers. The programme includes 53 training courses and covers 239 medical sub-specialities.
Outlook
The government has made strides in its first stage of reconstruction, laying foundations for the rehabilitation of the education and health sectors. The development of sectoral reforms, informed by international organisations and best practices, is expected to accelerate progress in the years ahead. As Syria draws on expertise and funding from external partners, the sector is on a clear path towards greater self-sufficiency over time, with growing political stability and economic growth set to further strengthen education and health outcomes across the country.
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