Assyrian Democratic Organization denounces forced closure of Assyrian schools by Kurdish group
Two leading Assyrian organizations, the Assyrian Democratic Organization and The Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights, have denounced and condemned the closure of Assyrian schools in northeast Syria's Gozarto Region by Kurdish militants.
The Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO), which represents a majority of Assyrians in Syria, has denounced the closure of schools belonging to the indigenous population in northeastern Syria’s Gozarto Region on 29 September by forces of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). The ADO called the actions of the Kurdish group “unacceptable” and stated that the decision to impose an unrecognized curriculum or to ban the teaching of the official government curriculum will have negative consequences for tens of thousands of students in Gozarto (Al-Jazira) from all communities, according to a statement by Gabriel Moshe, an ADO representative, posted on the organization’s official news page.
The Assyria Post
The ADO urged the Kurdish group to reverse the decision and to stop politicizing education or using it as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the Syrian government.
"A dangerous decision that could lead to demographic changes"
The Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights, a group based in Syria and Sweden that documents human rights abuses and is supported by the Swedish Anna Lindh Foundation, also confirmed the reports about the school closures. The organization condemned the move, describing it as a “dangerous decision that could lead to demographic changes.”
In its statement, the group expressed its “severe condemnation of the continuous arbitrary measures taken,” adding: “These actions constitute a systematic violation of the right to education and the cultural rights of minority communities.”
The Assyrian Monitor further emphasized the grave consequences of the Kurdish entity’s actions for thousands of students: “The insistence on replacing the licensed curricula threatens to exclude these schools from the global educational map, stripping students’ certificates of accreditation and credibility. This gravely jeopardizes the academic and professional future of thousands of children.”
The group also drew attention to the psychological impact of the Kurdish entity’s actions: “These restrictions are accompanied by armed security manifestations around the schools, used to enforce compulsory closures or intimidate administrative bodies. This constitutes an infringement on the security of educational institutions and creates a terrifying learning environment that contravenes international conventions on the protection of children in conflict zones,” it said.
