Students protest against Damascus’ delay of examination process

Students of both the preparatory and secondary certificates, accompanied by their families, held a protest in Qamishlo today, raising signs expressing their demands and affirming that education is a fundamental right that must be protected, not subjected to political disputes.

Among the slogans written on the signs were: “Education is a right, not a privilege,” “We demand to keep education away from politics,” “Our children's future is your responsibility,” and others like: “I’m a 15-year-old student, how can I travel to a place I don’t know? My school is in the neighborhood where I live.”

The students and their families appealed to the concerned authorities to take urgent action to provide safe examination centers in the North and East Syria region, facilitate students’ access to them, and ensure the examination process proceeds fairly and transparently, taking into account the region's unique circumstances.

The Education Body of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria confirmed that it had made significant efforts in cooperation with UNICEF to secure fair examinations for students in the region who are studying under the curriculum of the Ministry of Education affiliated with the Damascus Authority.

Direct meetings were also held in the Syrian capital on April 13 and 14, 2025, between a delegation from the Autonomous Administration’s Education Body and the Damascus Authority’s Ministry of Education. Several key points were agreed upon, including: easing the registration process and extending deadlines to accommodate all students following the Damascus curriculum; enabling students to take their exams in their local areas without the hardship of travel; forming a temporary joint committee to manage the examination process under the Damascus curriculum in North and East Syria; and continuing the educational process for students under the Autonomous Administration’s curriculum for the 2024–2025 academic year, as in previous years, according to a statement issued by the Education Body in North and East Syria on April 27.

According to the April 27 statement, a joint document was drafted under the supervision of UNICEF, and the Body declared its immediate readiness to implement the agreed terms. However, the Ministry of Education of the Damascus Authority referred the document to higher political authorities for approval, and no official response has been received so far, despite the upcoming examination dates.

The Education Body emphasized that it had exhausted all possible efforts to ensure the success of the examination process, calling on the Ministry of Education of the Damascus Authority to urgently respond to the agreement’s provisions and take action to save the future of thousands of students and guarantee their right to education.

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ANHA