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International Study Identifies Ideological Shifts in Syria’s School Curriculum
In a comprehensive analytical study, the international institute IMPACT-se identified major ideological shifts in Syria’s school curriculum after reviewing 130 textbooks approved for grades one through the baccalaureate level in the period following 2024.
The study concluded that Syria’s education system had undergone a systematic process of “reframing,” involving the removal of all references to Bashar al-Assad and his family, as well as slogans and texts promoting Baath Party ideology. This, it said, marked a complete departure from the secular nationalist narrative that had dominated education for decades.
According to the report, a new religious framework described as “hardline” has taken the place of the former nationalist one, with greater emphasis on concepts such as “jihad and martyrdom.” The study also noted visual changes to images of women and children, reflecting more conservative standards of dress.
On scientific and historical content, the institute said that key scientific theories, including the theory of evolution, had been removed. By contrast, the revised curriculum presented a more favorable view of the Ottoman era and its occupation of the region.
Regarding social diversity, the report documented what it described as a complete absence of the history of Syrian minorities, including Kurds and Druze. It also noted the continued rejection of Israel’s existence and the inclusion of texts reinforcing negative stereotypes about Jews.
Experts who prepared the report warn that this ideological shift—from a secular framework to a hardline religious one—could have negative consequences for tolerance and peaceful coexistence in Syrian society in the future.
