New Syrian govt revamps syllabus: Omits ’evolution of life’, replaces ‘people who’ve gone astray with ‘Jews, Christians’

The newly appointed Syrian government has announced several changes to its school curriculum — with many flagging an ‘Islamist slant’ to the edits. The development comes mere weeks after the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and other rebel groups overthrew the Bashar al-Assad led government after several decades in power. The HTS-dominated interim authorities now face the daunting task of rebuilding state institutions, with growing calls to ensure an inclusive transition and guarantee minority rights.

The changes were published on the official Facebook page of the education ministry and some chapters (including a chapter on the origins and evolution of life) have been removed completely. All praises of Assad are reportedly being omitted and several phrases have been reinterpreted in an ultra-conservative manner.

The term “path of goodness” has now been edited to “Islamic path” and “those who have are damned and have gone astray” will now be written as “Jews and Christians”. According to a CNN report, the modifications also redefine the word martyr as someone who has sacrificed themselves “for the sake of God".

The changes will apply to all children aged between 6 and 18 in the war-torn country. But it was not immediately clear when the amendments would be formally rolled out.

The updates have evoked a mixed reaction with many welcoming edits that renounced the previous Assad regime. Meanwhile the modification of religious chapter modifications sparked outrage on social media platforms.

Education has become a growing concern for Syria with an estimated 3.7 million children currently outside the school system. Save the Children — a charity working in the area — told AFP earlier this week that the number included approximately half of school-age children in the country.

While Syrians have endured more than a decade of conflict, the rapid rebel offensive that toppled president Bashar al-Assad on December 8 caused further disruption, with the UN reporting more than 700,000 people newly displaced.

(With inputs from agencies)