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Charity school around UAE expanding to take in more Syrians

Dubai - One charity school in Ajman has revealed plans of expanding so that it can accommodate 700 more students.

Lost in a never-ending waiting list of charity schools around the UAE, Syrian families who have escaped war are losing hope that their children will ever receive an education.

Charity schools around the UAE are all full - some of them have thousands of children on their waiting lists.

However, one charity school in Ajman has revealed plans of expanding so that it can accommodate 700 more students.

(From left to right)- 15-year-old Ghofran Basit has not been to a school for nearly three years, Akil Jansem says his family is safe but fears his children's future is at stake,Hassan Rakhmoon's four children. One of them got admission in a charity school, Abdul Al Razzak's children try to learn from any book they can get their hands on

The Manar Al Iman Charity Private School currently has 3,500 children registered, but it has hundreds on its waiting list. It has arranged morning and night shifts for students to accommodate as many children as they can.

"The school is full. We are going to build another building so that we can accept the needy people who need the school. There are more than 500 people in the waiting lists," the manager of the school, Saeed Al Baloushi, said.

"The school is located between Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain and there are a lot of needy people there who cannot afford private schools. By the new semester, we will start accepting new students and if we still have space, we will accept them."

Though, not all children will be lucky enough to secure a spot in a charity school, as there are thousands others still waiting.

Al Ahlia Charity School is also facing a similar situation. The secretary at the school told Khaleej Times: "We have nearly 2,400 students, but we are overcrowded now. We have more than 2,000 students on the waiting list and each year that number gets higher. These are students who have come from Syria or Yemen. They came from countries that had a lot of problems and they usually look for schools like ours because it's a charity school."

Charity schools help needy families, especially those who have escaped war-torn countries, receive an education either for free or at a tuition cost of between Dh1,000 to Dh7,000 per year.

We're heart-broken, say parents

A Syrian resident in Ajman, Abdul Al Razzak, has four children who have not been to school since 2013. They are one of the many families placed on a waiting list. The Al Razzak family first moved to Turkey after leaving behind their home and belongings due to the war, but they haven't been to school since they left Syria almost four years ago. Al Razzak's children, Fadi (18), Hekmat (16), Asmaa (9), and Mohamed Arkar (6), have been studying from any books they can get their hands on.

"If this school can give my children seats, we will be so grateful. We are so worried that my children will never go to school. They are already so behind. They've been through so much already. We left our country, our home, our belongings, but our future still doesn't look too bright if my children don't go to school," Al Razzak said.

Another Syrian father in Ajman, Hassan Mohammed Rakhmon, brought his family to the UAE in March, 2016. His wife and four children also left behind their home and belongings to escape the war and start a "normal life".

Rakhmoon's family was trapped in Aleppo for several months and their home was destroyed. They've been trying to rebuild their lives ever since. He has four children, out of which only one has been accepted into a charity school. "Everyday my kids ask me 'when are we going to school?' But I don't know what to say. It breaks my heart to see them like this," he said.

Akil Jansem, a father of six children, is also facing a similar problem. Two of his children are going to school but the remaining four face a potentially long waiting period. Jansem's family moved here nine months ago from Aleppo. He said: "Their future is at stake. We are happy we are safe, but I'm worried that my children will not have a bright future if they don't receive an education."

Abdul Basit, another Syrian father, is also worried about his 15-year-old daughter's future. Ghofran Basit has not been to school for nearly three years. Basit said: "I still remember how happy she was when she moved out of Syria. It breaks my heart to see her so depressed now."

sarwat@khaleejtimes.com