Syria defends controversial school textbook revisions

Syria's Ministry of Education has defended recent revisions to school textbooks following widespread criticism regarding the representation of women, art, and civic education. The changes, which affect materials for the 2026–2027 academic year, include the removal of certain female figures, the addition of hijabs to female characters, and the deletion of historical artworks and sculptures.

Critics and educators have expressed concern that the updates reflect an increasingly conservative ideological shift. Furthermore, lessons covering democracy, political participation, local administration, and citizenship have been removed. Journalist Mohammed al-Salloum sparked the debate by publishing comparisons between older editions and the new versions.

The Ministry stated that the revisions, implemented following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, were intended to remove symbols associated with the former government and to protect Syria's social and religious diversity. However, the independent fact-checking organization Ta'akkad verified that the alterations specifically included the removal of democratic participation lessons and changes to the depiction of women, noting that the Ministry's official explanations did not fully address these specific modifications.