Syria’s New Curriculum: The Alarming Rise of Extremist Ideology in Education
The Beginning of a New Year or the Beginning of the End?
It revealed that the Syrian government recently unilaterally made drastic changes to the school curricula which also elicited heated reactions across the country. These changes are not just reflected in alterations to textbooks but the very changes characterize a new ideology that might have deep-seated marks on Syria’s successive generations. It is clear that by erasing the part of history and modifying the ethics classes we have a curriculum that conforms to the radical narrative. Some scholars believe that these changes can result in prolonged and intensified fragmentation on the basis of a society, as well as in the aggravation of the processes that will not allow Syria to reunite.
The Culture of Erasing the Original Historical Identity
Perhaps the worst thing about the new curriculum is the lack of cultural heroes such as Queen Zenobia and the legendary Khawla bint Al-Azwar. These women meant hope and power, providing the students with reference points to Syrian culture. By calling them the ‘unreal characters’ not only the history is negated, but also culture and one’s pride in reference to it. They shift questions from what is being omitted to why parts of history are rewritten in the first place.
Knowledge in Science Endangered
Just as worrying is the removal of such tutorials as the history of ancient gods or evolution’s counterparts. In the curriculum, there is a subject labeled as “brain evolution” but when it comes to the basic principles of evolution, an essential concept of today’s science, there is a gap. In this way, this selective teaching erodes the skills that should be necessary when facing the contemporary complex world resulting from globalization processes — thinking and scientific literacy.
A Shift in Moral Teachings
The changes in this aspect are possibly the most worrying of all the changes: This change of the military rhetoric from the aim of ‘defending the homeland’ to ‘for the sake of god’; shifts it to a more fanatical type of patriotism. This ideological shift may turn off students from other parts of the country and also cements apprehensions of an extremism infiltration into the Syrian education systems.
Consequences of Refugee’s Return
Admittedly, the changes in school curricula have inspired certain concerns regarding refugees’ return in Syria. Families overseas will not dare sent their children to a system that seems to give more emphasis to political orientation than to learning. This could mean Syria continues to lose talented individuals — known as the brain drain — and fail to rebuild after years of fighting.
The Path Forward
Although governments around the world occasionally modify curricula to meet new goals, Syria’s most recent changes seem to advance only an exclusive, militant agenda. This backlash both within Syria and the diaspora demonstrate why these changes and progression need to be thought about. If not arrested, the current ideological change means that Syria’s future generations will be left struggling how to reconstruct the country’s future.
