The new Islamist-led government in Syria has sparked concern with its changes to the school curriculum, which have been implemented without input from the wider society. The revised curriculum, posted on the education ministry’s Facebook page, includes a more Islamic slant and drops references to the Assad era across all subjects.
Notable changes include the replacement of phrases such as “Defending the nation” with “Defending Allah”, as well as the removal of Evolution and the Big Bang theory from science teaching. Images of ancient statues worshipped in Syria before Islam have also been deleted, along with poems celebrating Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez.
Education Minister Nazir al-Qadri has downplayed the changes, stating that they are largely unchanged until specialist committees review and revise them. However, civil society activists are alarmed, fearing their voices may not be heard in the country’s development under new leadership.
The new authorities have touted a National Dialogue Conference as a way to involve all sections of society in shaping Syria’s future. Yet, activists argue that unilateral changes to the education system undermine such promises and want to express opposition through protests ahead of the new school term’s start on Sunday.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1ln12056ppo