Syria's Education Ministry Faces Criticism Over Textbook Changes
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Syria's Education Ministry has faced widespread criticism following changes to the official curriculum, which include the removal of images of women and artwork. The modifications, part of a broader update to educational materials, have sparked concerns about personal freedoms and women's rights under the new government. The changes were documented in a report by the Institute for Impact-Science, which compared 130 textbooks for the 2025-2026 academic year with previous editions.
The report, published this month, highlighted the removal of content related to equality and citizenship, as well as the deletion or alteration of images of women, often by adding headscarves. Examples of these changes include the removal of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa, from a seventh-grade history book, and the deletion of sculptures from a third-grade social studies book. In an Islamic education textbook for fourth graders, illustrations of figures in regular clothing were replaced with images of men in long shirts over loose pants and women in niqabs.
Social media users and independent media outlets in Syria have shared images showing a headscarf added to two girls in front of a computer, the upper part of an ancient Egyptian statue covered, and the removal of dance images from a social studies book, as well as the deletion of statues from various historical civilizations that have existed in Syria.
In response to the criticism, the Ministry of Education issued a statement on Monday, stating that the curriculum changes aimed to remove symbols and ideological content from the previous regime. The ministry also emphasized its commitment to developing educational materials and methods to achieve a balance between authenticity and openness, preparing a generation aware of its rights and duties, proud of its identity, and capable of keeping up with developments and participating in building a new Syria.
The previous regime, led by the Assad family, presented itself as secular and a protector of minorities, but it committed atrocities in the field of human rights and suppressed freedoms.
