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Opening of a Turkish School in Damascus Raises Fears of "Cultural Occupation"
The Turkish Educational Attaché at the Turkish Embassy in Damascus announced the opening of preliminary registration for a new Turkish international school in the capital. Turkish Ambassador to Syria Nuh Yilmaz confirmed the start of registrations and welcomed the support of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education for the project ahead of an official opening.
The move sparked wide reactions in Syrian circles, with part of the public and local media considering the opening of a Turkish school on Syrian soil a form of "cultural occupation" and interference in national education affairs, recalling the Assad regime’s earlier opening of Russian schools when Moscow was a close ally of Damascus. Critics complained of a lack of clarity on curricula, accreditation, and sovereign oversight of education within the new school.
Ambassador Nuh Yilmaz expressed gratitude to the Syrian ministries of foreign affairs and education for supporting the school, describing the step as reflecting growing educational cooperation between the two countries. The Turkish Educational Attaché in Damascus had announced on Friday the start of preliminary registration for parents wishing to enroll their children, to assess educational and organizational needs before the school opens.
According to a statement published by the attaché on the X platform, the school will offer all grade levels, from kindergarten and primary education through the end of secondary school.
The announcement comes amid heightened sensitivity over the presence of institutions affiliated with foreign states inside Syria, which could prompt further political and regional debate and protests if official clarifications are not provided regarding the school’s operating framework and the content of its curricula.
