By Mo’ayed al-Sheikh
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The education sector in the opposition-held areas in northwest Syria has suffered from great damages during the years of war which affected its structure, facilities, staff, and students alike.
The ongoing conflict between by the Syrian government and the different Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition factions have also caused the large-scale displacement of millions, resulting in great damage to the education system across all its different levels.
The region is predominantly controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) which controls the city of Idlib and parts of the northern countryside of Aleppo. However, the opposition factions supported by Turkey, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA) controls areas in Idlib countryside, the north and northeast countryside of Aleppo, Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), and Tel Abyad.
There is no unified curriculum followed in the opposition areas, as school curricula differ depending on the area and the political factions that control these areas. Therefore, the curricula in HTS-held areas is different from the one followed in the SNA-held areas, and those in camps.
Education in HTS-held areas
In the areas of Idlib and its countryside, the northern and western countryside of Aleppo, northwest of Hama, and north of Latakia, as well as other areas associated with the HTS-affiliated Salvation Government, a standardized educational curriculum is implemented in both private and public schools. This curriculum is the same of the Syrian government’s, with the exception of some units and lessons in each book that have been replaced with lessons discussing the “Syrian Revolution”. Additionally, the subject of “Nationalism” has been completely removed.
All schools in these areas adhere to the educational guidelines established by the Ministry of Education of the Salvation Government.
In a related context, Fou’ad Sarmini, a pseudonym for an official at the Education Directorate in Idlib, stated to North Press, that the number of students in the areas under the control of the Salvation Government until the beginning of 2023 amounted to 463,521 students, distributed among approximately 980 schools in Idlib, its countryside, and the neighboring areas affiliated with the HTS.
He further explained that the number of dropouts exceeds 70,200 students, which is indeed a significant figure. He noted that these students receive education from teachers who are graduates of universities in what he called the “liberated areas” in reference to the areas outside the control of the Syrian government, as well as graduates from “Syrian regime” universities, provided that the graduates completed their studies in 2018 or earlier, and there are no teachers from other countries.
Regarding the schools in the widely scattered camps in northwestern Syria, Sarmini said the educational process in the IDP camps faces numerous challenges, primarily the scarcity of schools and classrooms. For instance, in a camp like Atma, which is home to over 400,000 IDPs, there are fewer than 100 schools, most of which are small caravans or tiny schools consisting of only 10 to 15 classrooms. As a result, schools are forced to accommodate over 50 students in a single classroom at times, making it extremely difficult to provide them with proper education.
SNA-held areas
The curriculum followed in SNA affiliated Interim Government areas, like HTS areas, are the same of the government forces, but the Turkish language has been added as a main subject.
The schools operating under the Interim Government are under the Turkish supervision as they are directly affiliated with Turkish education directorates.
The changes implemented in the curriculum in these areas can be summarized as follows: the introduction of Turkish language as a main subject at all academic levels, the inclusion of mathematics and physics as subjects in literary secondary schools, the adoption of an automated exam system, and the Turkish education directorates overseeing the development of exams in these schools.
Turkification
Turkey’s involvement in the conflict has had a significant impact on the political, social, and educational landscape of the region.
Turkey has been adopting the Turkification policy since its intervention in northwest Syria, particularly in the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo, by imprinting a Turkish character on the entire Syrian territory it controls starting from education.
This has become clear after the many military operations carried out in the region, starting with the invasion of Afrin in 2018, followed by the “Euphrates Shield” and “Olive Branch” operations, as well as the areas of Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain).
In the academic year 2018-2019, the Turkish language was introduced into the curriculum as a compulsory subject in all stages, from the primary to the secondary stage, in all schools in northwest Syria, ignoring other languages, most notably the Kurdish.
The Turkish government, after occupying Afrin, has implemented the policy of Turkification in the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwest Syria, and the Kurdish language in Afrin schools “ranks fourth” in terms of dedicated weekly hours of education.
However, this has caused dissatisfaction among the parents of students in schools of different opposition held areas due to the difficulties their children face in accepting and learning the Turkish language, which is considered a mandatory subject in all schools. This is compounded by the shortage of teaching staff and the inability of some families to afford private courses for their children.
On Aug. 20, Turkey’s Yunus Emre Cultural Institute opened a school for teaching Turkish language in the city of al-Bab in Aleppo eastern countryside to target 300 children in a bid to submerge them in the Turkish culture in the area held by the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, followed by another school in the city of Afrin.
A number of press reports indicated that Turkey carries out an approach of “Turkification” by teaching the Turkish language by force in the schools and universities of the areas it occupies.
Despite all those controlling forces in the opposition–held areas many children have dropped out of schools, with two out of three students no longer having access to formal schooling due to the security chaos, instability, economic hardships and challenging living conditions that hinder their continuation, according to Response Coordinators Team.
These students are compelled to leave school and join the workforce at a young age to help support their families financially, in addition to the added burden of school fees and expenses.