Official says Kobani education integration awaits Syrian government approval
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – The integration of education staff in Kobani, northern Syria, is progressing in line with the January 29 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian transitional government, a local education official said on Tuesday.
Azad Sheikho, supervisor of the Kobani Educational Office, told North Press that they are waiting official approval of lists covering more than 3,000 teachers and administrative employees with the integration process covering Kobani and the town of Sirrin.
He said lists of teaching and administrative staff had been prepared and submitted through the Aleppo Directorate of Education and the governor to the Ministry of Education, but officials have not yet received formal approval.
Sheikho said the new academic year will begin in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s schedule, with schools opening administratively on Sep. 1 and students and teaching staff returning on Sep. 6.
He added that 292 schools in Kobani and its surrounding villages will remain under the supervision of the Kobani Educational Center.
The Autonomous Administration’s Kurdish-language curriculum will continue to be taught during the 2026–2027 academic year in Kobani and the surrounding Kurdish villages, he said.
Sheikho said salaries for last month were paid by the Autonomous Administration, expressing hope that Syria’s Ministry of Education would pay this month’s salaries, as it has in other areas. He added that the Autonomous Administration could issue the payments if approval of the staff lists is delayed.
He also said clashes in January displaced residents from several areas to Kobani, forcing schools to serve as shelters and causing significant damage to school buildings.
According to Sheikho, the Educational Center has submitted a list of essential needs to the Aleppo Directorate of Education, including desks, whiteboards, stationery, heating fuel and stoves, as the Center has no direct financial allocations to secure those supplies before the start of the school year.