By Jwan Shekaki
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian transitional government has quietly cancelled Kurdish language education in schools across the Afrin region, northwestern Syria, in what local observers describe as another setback for Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights in the area.
Before Turkey’s 2018 invasion and subsequent occupation of Afrin, the Kurdish language was officially taught in schools under local Kurdish administrations. Since 2011, Kurdish had gradually become the main medium of instruction, with all subjects taught in Kurdish by 2016. The area even hosted Syria’s first Kurdish-language institute and university, marking a milestone in cultural self-determination.
Following Turkey’s occupation of Afrin in March 2018 and the displacement of over 300,000 Kurds, the Turkish-backed Syrian Interim Government at the time allowed limited Kurdish language courses in areas of northern Aleppo. Later, Kurdish was reduced to a secondary subject—only two hours a week—while Turkish received four hours weekly.
In recent months, the Ministry of Education of the Syrian transitional government moved to “unify curricula” across all Syrian territories, excluding the regions administered by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). The decision effectively abolished Kurdish teaching in Afrin, as the unified curriculum contains no recognition of the Kurdish language or identity.
While the ministry has not officially announced the cancellation, it justified the move under the pretext of curriculum standardization. The step was interpreted by local educators as politically motivated, especially as the ministry avoided any public explanation. Ironically, the current education minister, reportedly of Kurdish origin from Afrin, was presented by the government as a symbol of inclusivity.
Officials close to the ministry told North Press that the suspension of Kurdish teaching is “temporary,” pending political negotiations between the AANES and the transitional government over Kurdish-related issues. However, Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib recently described the language question as “a political matter,” reinforcing concerns that education and language rights have become bargaining tools rather than civic issues.
At the same time, Turkish influence over Afrin’s education sector has grown. Turkish universities such as Gaziantep and Amanos operate branches in the area, while institutions like the Yunus Emre Institute continue to promote Turkish culture and language. The former Kurdish-language teacher training institute in Afrin has also eliminated its Kurdish department entirely.
Observers say the government’s latest move undermines years of progress in cultural rights and rekindles fears of systematic exclusion. “If the government is serious about building trust with the Kurdish population, it must take practical steps, not symbolic ones,” a local educator told North Press. “Eliminating Kurdish from schools destroys any credibility of coexistence.”
The Kurdish National Council (ENKS) in Afrin has called on the transitional government to reverse its recent decision, warning that the move undermines cultural rights and contradicts the principles of equality and diversity long demanded by “the Syrian revolution.”
The ENKS described mother-tongue education as a “fundamental human right” and a cornerstone of cultural identity. “We were surprised by the suspension of Kurdish education in Kurdish-majority areas such as Afrin,” the ENKS said in a statement released late in September, calling the move “inconsistent with the principles of freedom, dignity, and justice proclaimed by the Syrian revolution.”
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, commented on the decision, saying that the UN strongly believes in the right of people everywhere in the world to speak the languages that they choose to speak and to learn all the different languages of those areas.”
Afrin currently hosts over 110,000 students across 293 schools, according to the local education directorate. However, many teachers say the new policy has widened the cultural gap between authorities and the community, deepening mistrust amid ongoing instability and the presence of armed factions.