Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree Feb. 2 to establish technical training centers for construction work. 

According to the new law, the training centers aim to provide the job market with competent technical staff that will raise productivity, boost the construction sector’s contribution to Syria's gross domestic product and improve the quality of construction works. 

The law set a monthly salary of 10,000 Syrian pounds ($3 at the black market rate) for trainees during their training period. The low rate angered construction contractors as well as unemployed youths in light of the crippling economic situation in Syria.

Abed al-Asmar, a university student from al-Zabadani in Rif Dimashq who moved to the capital Damascus after his house in al-Zabadani was destroyed, said that the law shocked and angered him. He told Al-Monitor, “The monthly stipend set by the law is not enough to pay for one meal at a cheap restaurant in Damascus. A bowl of soup costs 15,000 Syrian pounds [$5]. Each family in Damascus needs $500 per month to be able to make ends meet. The Syrian pound is collapsing every day and the prices of foodstuffs and medication are soaring. How can a trainee survive a whole month on 10,000 Syrian pounds?”