The pressure on Syrian families intensifies, especially for the head of the household. That iron spine can no longer bear the weight of the mountains, and its bending is not a sign of respect for life. This is the general situation as the final high school exams approach. Fathers are dying of hunger, and private tutors are exhausted.

Private tutors push themselves beyond their limits, renting out individual lessons or entire subjects. These are currently referred to as "intensive courses." This generation often turns to these courses due to parents' distance from the school environment, curriculum differences, and the need to understand lessons at school. Students often overlook their circumstances, confident in their parents' resilience. Parents, with their eyes fixed on securing daily necessities, also have to manage the fees for these "courses." They find themselves working day and night to achieve dreams in a country where such dreams are difficult to realize.

In contrast to previous generations, who only registered for exams and specific subjects, today there is no subject exempt from intensive preparation. Shockingly, intensive math courses can cost up to one million Syrian pounds. The exorbitant fees leave no room for question marks or exclamations. Even a full stop won't suffice for the father. Imagine that "revision" courses for various subjects can exceed two or three million pounds in the most affordable cases. If the teacher is "guided by God," the situation might be slightly better, but if they lack guidance, the complaint is directed anywhere but to God.

Discussing the mentioned figure raises a question that weighs on every family's mind: What has changed for the teacher? What does the teacher buy with such high fees and then sell to the student? The answer is undoubtedly not a dream or experience. Even if the student achieves their dream through this process, the family pays a heavy price, both mentally and financially¹.