The 2023 earthquake in Syria intensified pressures on an already fragile education system shaped by protracted conflict, displacement, and institutional fragmentation. Using a mixed-methods design, this study integrates survey data from 400 students, 50 teachers, and 15 school administrators with qualitative interviews to examine post-disaster educational resilience. Quantitative findings indicate that 67% of students exhibited clinically significant PTSD symptoms, 54% reported heightened anxiety and hypervigilance, and 26% experienced severe absenteeism, patterns more pronounced among girls and low-income learners. Additionally, 62% of teachers lacked trauma-informed training, limiting their capacity to support students’ psychosocial recovery. Qualitative insights highlighted pervasive social withdrawal, disrupted peer networks, and inconsistent institutional support structures. Comparative evidence from Japan and New Zealand underscores critical gaps in Syria’s post-earthquake response, including the absence of trauma-sensitive teaching frameworks, school-based mental health services, and formal disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies. Grounded in ecological, trauma-informed, and resilience-based perspectives, the study proposes a context-responsive policy model that prioritizes trauma-informed teacher preparation, school-based psychosocial support, and DRR curriculum integration. Overall, the findings demonstrate the urgent need to institutionalize psychosocial services and embed structured trauma-responsive practices to strengthen long-term educational resilience in crisis-affected settings.
Almazroui et al. (Mon,) studied this question.