Enab Baladi – Christina al-Shammas
A large number of Syrian families in Damascus and its countryside are facing increasing financial burdens due to the rising costs of private lessons and educational institutes, especially with the approach of the basic education certificate exams that will begin this June, and the secondary exams next July.
Interest in private lessons is increasing in light of the declining effectiveness of education in public schools, prompting many parents to allocate the bulk of their monthly income to secure academic support for their children, amidst wages that do not correspond to individual income averages and current living conditions.
Burden on families
Discussing private lessons is not just a common topic in Syrian households but has become a daily concern that burdens families, especially amid deteriorating economic conditions.
The fees for a single lesson vary by subject, teacher, and location, but in most cases, they exceed the capacity of the average middle-income family to afford.
“We pay the teacher 150,000 Syrian pounds for a single lesson in mathematics, and my son needs four lessons a week. How can I keep up with this when my salary as a government employee is only 300,000 pounds?” said Mohammad al-Dakheel, a government employee living in the Sahnaya area of rural Damascus, noting that most of his salary goes to cover his son’s education as a scientific baccalaureate student.
Al-Dakheel is forced to work extra hours as a taxi driver to meet his son’s educational expenses and household needs.
At the same time, Salma al-Amiri, a resident of the Mezzeh area in Damascus, recounts how she found herself forced to borrow from relatives to enroll her daughter in a private institute.
“The institute asked us for two and a half million for the entire course of the certificate subjects, and we had to pay the fees in two installments, as there was no other option; the school alone is not enough,” al-Amiri said.
Lina Saad, a resident of the Jaramana area in rural Damascus, shares the same struggle, noting that the cost of private lessons for her son amounts to around two million pounds per month.
The fee for a private lesson in mathematics reaches 85,000 pounds, in physics 60,000 pounds, in English 70,000 pounds, while a session for Arabic costs 150,000 pounds, and for sciences, it costs 75,000 pounds.
Saad is concerned about the costs of the upcoming examination sessions, which are expected to reach 200,000-300,000 pounds per session, depending on the subject, teacher, and private institute.
Private institutes not considering the reality
Private institutes have become the primary destination for students seeking high marks to secure admission to preferred university branches, yet the fees of these institutes do not consider the living realities of Syrians.
The cost for a full course for the secondary certificate stage ranges between two and a half million to five million Syrian pounds, depending on the institute, location, and subject.
With multiple subjects and repeated reviews, the total cost may exceed six million pounds, a figure that far exceeds what a Syrian employee earns in a whole year.
“There are students who cannot attend these institutes despite their excellence because their financial situation does not allow it,” said Susan Mohammed, an Arabic language teacher at a private institute in Damascus, noting that the gap is widening between those who can afford to pay and those who cannot, negatively affecting the principle of equal opportunities among students.
Regional fee disparities
The difference in fees between institutes and teachers in the city and countryside reflects the disparity in access to quality educational services.
According to what Enab Baladi observed in upscale neighborhoods like al-Malki, Abu Rummaneh, and Mezzeh, the cost of a single lesson may reach 300,000 pounds, while it does not exceed 75,000 pounds in some rural areas.
Khaled Khattab, a resident of al-Muadhamiyah in rural Damascus, mentioned that he took his son to one of the well-known teachers in Mezzeh, who asked him for 250,000 pounds for a single session, bluntly stating, “If you’re not satisfied, there are others in line,” which forced Khattab to look for a cheaper alternative.
Reema al-Amir, a resident of the al-Qasaa area, had a similar experience when a well-known Arabic language teacher in Damascus asked her for 200,000 pounds, even though the cost for a session in another area does not exceed 150,000 pounds.
Teachers or merchants?
Teachers contacted by Enab Baladi stated that the problem does not lie in greed but in the high living costs in the capital and the pressures of life that do not discriminate between teacher and student.
“I am compelled to raise my fees because I pay high rent and need to secure my children’s livelihood, especially after our income as teachers in public schools has deteriorated,” explains Abdul Karim al-Halabi, a physics teacher from the Dummar Project area.
Conversely, Fareed al-Hassan, a former supervisor at the Jack Pharaoh school in Sahnaya, believes that the fees for private lessons exceed the ability of citizens with limited incomes and described them as “inhumane,” questioning, “Are they teachers or merchants?”
Mohannad Armoush, an English teacher for intermediate school students in Sahnaya, told Enab Baladi that the blame does not fall entirely on the teachers, as many of them experience the same economic crisis that families do.
Teachers’ salaries in public schools barely cover one week’s needs, forcing them to turn to private lessons as a supplementary source of income.
“My salary does not exceed 280,000 pounds, which does not even cover transportation and food expenses. I do not ask for this high fee out of greed, but because I have to,” said Rita Mahna, an English teacher working at a private institute in Kafr Sousa in Damascus.
From Mahna’s perspective, the quality of private education varies according to personal effort, and students achieve tangible results that reflect the value of what they pay.
“I provide summaries, weekly tests, psychological support, and continuous motivation, which requires a lot of time and effort,” she justifies the amount she charges students, which reaches 100,000 pounds per session, stating that it corresponds with the effort she expends.
Students’ struggles
Students themselves live under pressure between the obligations of study, the stress of exams, and the repercussions of the economic situation.
“I feel like I’m in a race I can’t keep up with,” said Rana Qudsieh, a high school student (scientific branch) from the Jaramana area, adding, “My classmates study in institutes and have private teachers while I’m just reviewing school and books, which makes me feel that my chances are less than theirs.”
Meanwhile, Khaled Hassan, from the al-Malihah area, said, “I used to work in a grocery store in the afternoons to afford private lessons, but now work is scarce, so I rely on recorded lessons from the internet.”
Despite his efforts, Hassan acknowledges that self-education cannot replace direct explanation and interaction with a teacher.
The Syrian Ministry of Education announced that the number of students for the basic and secondary education certificates reached 724,216 applicants for the year 2025.
The number of students for the basic education certificate (general ninth grade) has reached 359,282, while the number of students in the religious section is 10,502.
For the secondary education certificate, the number of candidates from the scientific branch reached 212,217, while the number of candidates for the literary branch reached 115,397. The number in the religious secondary school reached 2,152 students, while in vocational secondary it reached 24,666 students.
Private lessons surpass financial means of parents in Damascus and its suburbs Enab Baladi.
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