The Ministry of Education of the new administration in Syria has introduced changes to the curriculum for all levels of education, from the first grade of primary school to the end of secondary school. The theory of evolution has been removed from the science curriculum, and literary works such as the story of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra have been removed on the grounds that they are “fantasy.” Minister Nazir al-Qadri explained that the changes affect the Islamic education subject: “We have changed some of the false information adopted by the former Assad regime in the Islamic education curriculum, such as explaining some verses of the Quran in an incorrect way.” For example, the phrase that a martyr is “a person who sacrifices his soul in defense of his homeland” has been replaced with “a person who sacrifices his soul in the name of Allah.” The changes include changing the phrase “the path of goodness” to “the path of Islam,” and “those who are cursed and misguided” to “Jews and Christians,” an extremely conservative interpretation of a verse from the Quran.
Journalist and activist Shiar Khalil criticized the amendments in a Facebook post, arguing that “education based on extremist ideologies can lead to the creation of people with ideas that threaten regional and international security.” He added: “The change in the curriculum under the supervision of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham is not only an educational danger, but rather a long-term threat to the social fabric and future of Syria.” Other critics said: “The current government is an official government and has no right to make these changes to the curriculum in accordance with the new constitution.”
Amid the backlash, the ministry has tried to downplay the changes, saying that “… the curricula in all schools in Syria remain unchanged until specialized committees are formed to review them.” Nazir al-Qadri announced in a statement posted on the Telegram app that “… the curricula in all Syrian schools are still in effect until specialized committees are formed to review and audit the curricula.” He added: “We only ordered to delete anything related to the glorification of the defunct Assad regime, and we put pictures of the Syrian revolution flag in all textbooks instead of Assad’s.” In an interview with Reuters last month, al-Qadri said that Islam and Christianity would continue to be taught as subjects in schools and that primary schools would remain mixed for boys and girls. Middle classes would remain segregated, as they have been. In addition, religious studies – Islam and Christianity – will be returned to the secondary school leaving certificate, he announced.
Illustrative Photo by Ivan Hassib: https://www.pexels.com/photo/moving-vehicles-on-the-road-under-blue-sky-3743622/
