New Syrian regime’s faculty curriculum modifications spark backlash | EUROtoday

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Syria’s new regime has introduced sweeping modifications to the nationwide faculty curriculum, triggering considerations about “Islamisation”.

Critics concern the modifications, together with an elevated concentrate on Islam and the elimination of content material associated to the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime, might be divisive and erode the nation’s numerous historic and cultural id.

The modifications, first posted on the Ministry of Education’s Facebook web page, embrace changing the phrase “defending the nation” with “defending Allah” and eradicating references to pre-Islamic gods.

The curriculum overhaul additionally removes the Big Bang idea and evolution from science books, and edits historical past and philosophy topics to exclude matters like Chinese philosophical thought and Ottoman rule, which is now being described as “brutal” within the context of Syria’s previous.

Another controversial shift is the elimination of the topic of National Education, which promoted the Baath Party’s ideology underneath Mr Assad.

It might be changed by Islamic or Christian Religious Education.

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The modifications, which have an effect on kids aged 6 to 18, are geared toward changing content material seen as glorifying the Assad authorities, however the introduction of extra spiritual instructing has led to sturdy reactions, significantly on social media.

“The current government is a caretaker government that does not have the right to make these amendments,” one consumer posted on the Ministry of Education’s Facebook web page, CNN reported.

Nazir al-Qadri, the brand new regime’s schooling minister, downplayed the importance of the modifications in a press release to Syrian information company Sana, claiming the curriculum will keep largely unchanged till knowledgeable committees are set as much as evaluate the academic materials.

The revisions are geared toward correcting what he described as “inaccuracies” within the Islamic schooling curriculum which beforehand misinterpreted Quranic verses.

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In spite of the minister’s assurance, activists, lots of whom have returned to Syria after years in exile, are involved concerning the lack of session with the broader society earlier than implementing such modifications. The transitional authorities’s declare of striving for inclusivity seems undermined by these unilateral choices.

“After reviewing the amendments, it’s clear that aside from removing signs of the criminal Assad regime, the rest of the changes have a distinct religious tone,” Syrian journalist Hussam Hammoud mentioned.

The new Syrian regime, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebranded Al Qaeda and Isis affiliate, has sought to place a distance from its extremist roots, promising a way forward for tolerance and coexistence for all spiritual and ethnic teams.

The curriculum modifications have revived fears that the regime is pushing an “Islamist agenda” and sidelining the nation’s pluralistic, secular historical past.

The modifications have sparked requires protests forward of the beginning of the brand new faculty time period on Sunday, with activists and residents planning demonstrations in opposition to any additional modifications to the schooling system or different state establishments with out complete public participation.