Kurdish militants close down Assyrian schools by force in Syria's northeast

Forces of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) raided the private Assyrian Christian schools in the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, shutting them down by force on Monday 29 September, several Assyrian news outlets have reported.

The closures included the Mar Quriakos, Al-Salam, Maysalun, Faris al-Khoury, and Al-Ittihad schools in Qamishli, as well as the Al-Amal school in Hasakah, after administrators and teachers were expelled amid a barrage of insults and abuse, according to several local sources.

Kurdish group renews attempt to impose curriculum on Assyrian schools in Syria’s Gozarto Region

The Kurdish group in control of the Gozarto Region is seeking to once again impose a new curriculum on Assyrian schools.

The Assyria PostThe Assyria Post

The self-proclaimed Kurdish “Autonomous administration” had previously issued a decision to impose its own curricula in all schools located in areas under its control and to sever ties with the Syrian government’s Ministry of Education in Damascus — a move rejected by the Assyrian schools.

Assyrians oppose the Kurdish curriculum for several reasons. It contains ideological indoctrination aligned with the group’s Marxist ideology, portraying its leader Abdullah Öcalan as a god-like figure. It also promotes historical revisionism, attempting to rewrite the history of the Assyrian region in favor of a constructed Kurdish narrative. Another concern is that no authorities recognize its self-proclaimed administration, meaning diplomas issued under its curriculum are not recognized by Damascus.

The harassments and attempts at closing down the Assyrian schools by the Kurdish entity have been ongoing since 2018.

Kurdish Self-Administration Orders Closure of Assyrian Schools in Northern Syria

The Kurdish self-administration in northern Syria has ordered the closing of Assyrian schools in Derik (Malikiyyah), Syria. Notices were issued by the governing Democratic Union Party (PYD) on August 7, 2018 to Assyrian schools in Derik, a diverse Syrian city in the Al-Hassakah governorate, ordering the school’s closure for failing to register for a license and rejecting the administration’s new curriculum.These private schools are administered by the Syriac Orthodox Church Diocese and have been

Assyrian PolicyAssyrian Policy Institute

The Gozarto Region in northeast Syria, once a historically Assyrian-majority area, has witnessed a sharp decline in its Assyrian population since the PKK offshoot took control amid the Syrian civil war.