ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged internal dialogue in Syria to resolve disputes regarding the end to Kurdish-medium education in Kurdish-majority areas in northeastern Syria (Rojava) and to ensure linguistic rights are addressed fairly.
"I hope that the questions of the educational system will be discussed within Syria and that an adequate solution will be found to take into account the interests of the population," Guterres, who has met the Syrian interim president at least twice - with his most recent visit having taken place in late July - told Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla when asked about the curriculum controversy.
"The president of Syria… has said all the right things about all the different aspects related to Syrian development, and in particular, very committed to the agreement that was established with the leadership of the Kurdish community that is moving in the right direction," he added.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued Decree 13 in January recognizing Kurdish as a "national language" and allowing it to be taught in public and private schools in areas with significant Kurdish populations. The decree also recognized Kurds as an integral part of the Syrian people and pledged to protect their cultural and linguistic identity.
Following the decree, the education ministry began preparing Kurdish-language curriculum for all educational levels ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year.
In late August, the ministry issued a decree designating Kurdish as part of the approved curriculum in public and private schools in Kurdish-majority areas, but demoting it to an elective course taught for three classes a week - effectively ending Kurdish-medium education introduced by the Kurdish-led administration more than a decade ago - with schooling to be conducted primarily in Arabic.
For the upcoming academic year, students are also permitted to study subjects including social studies, history, geography, and philosophy in either Kurdish or Arabic as a transitional measure.
The decision has angered many Kurds across Syria and triggered protests demanding that full Kurdish-medium education be retained.
Nevertheless, the UN chief maintained that “Syria is globally moving in the right direction.”
Given that Syria is coming “from a situation of war and from a long dictatorship,” factors which make it “impossible to have a perfect country at the present moment… my deep belief is that we all must engage to support Syria and that Syria is globally moving in the right direction,” said Guterres.
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