3 Curricula Adopted at Schools in Northeastern Syria

Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria announced that they were adopting three curricula at schools in regions under their control. (AFP)
Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria announced that they were adopting three curricula at schools in regions under their control. (AFP)
TT
20

3 Curricula Adopted at Schools in Northeastern Syria

Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria announced that they were adopting three curricula at schools in regions under their control. (AFP)
Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria announced that they were adopting three curricula at schools in regions under their control. (AFP)

The Education Authority affiliated with the autonomous Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria announced that it was adopting three curricula at schools in its regions under their control.

One curriculum was devised by the autonomous authority and is being taught at schools in the Jazira and Euphrates regions and to refugees from the Afrin region who are at camps in the Aleppo countryside. The second curriculum is that of the official Syrian state and is being taught at schools in Manbij and its countryside and the nearby town of al-Arima.

The third curriculum was approved by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and is taught at the cities of Tabaqa, the Raqqa province and eastern Deir Ezzour region. These areas are controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

This third curriculum was introduced after locals protested against the adoption of the autonomous region’s curriculum. They instead demanded the adoption of the UNICEF curriculum until a program that is approved by all Syrians can be adopted. They also urged against dragging the academic year into political and military disputes.

Head of the Education Authority, Rajab al-Mushref, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the three curricula will be implemented throughout all school levels, starting from kindergarten to grade 12.

Some 4 million books were handed out to schools and academic institutions, he said. Books from the UNICEF curriculum, estimated at about 1 million, have yet to be received by the authority.

Officials at UNICEF pledged to send the books at the beginning of the school year, he revealed. Teachers and staff have, meanwhile, been trained on the new curriculum, which is only adopted at times of crisis. It only covers four subjects: Math, science and Arabic and English language classes.

Some 825,000 students showed up for the first day of school amid strict health measures that have been imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, revealed Mushref

He also denied reports that the Kurdish authorities had suspended the school year due to the Syrian government’s insistence on imposing its curriculum.

“We had made an announcement that such reports were false,” he stated.

The withdrawal of regime forces from several parts of Kurdish regions allowed the autonomous authority to introduce its own curriculum that teaches Kurdish and Syriac alongside Arabic.

An academic official in al-Hasakeh revealed that 125,000 students had returned to school in regime-held regions. They will attend classes at 180 schools, while SDF-held regions boast 2,106 schools.



Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo
TT
20

Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo

As a Wednesday deadline approaches for steeper US tariffs to hit dozens of economies ranging from the EU to India, trade negotiations with President Donald Trump's administration are coming down to the wire.

The levies taking effect July 9 were announced in April, with the White House citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trade relations. But they were swiftly halted, allowing room for talks.

Days before their reimposition, where do things stand?

EU: 'Ready' for deal

The European Union said it is "ready for a deal" with Washington, with the bloc's trade chief meeting his US counterparts Thursday.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was targeting an "agreement in principle" when it came to the July 9 cutoff, AFP reported.

With no deal, the US tariff on EU goods doubles from the "baseline" of 10 percent to 20 percent -- with Trump previously threatening a 50 percent level.

Vietnam: A pact with uncertainties

Washington and Hanoi unveiled a trade pact Wednesday with much fanfare and few details, but it allowed Vietnam to avoid Trump's initial 46 percent tariff.

Under the agreement, Vietnamese goods face a minimum 20 percent tariff while products made elsewhere face a 40 percent levy -- a clause to restrict "transshipping" by Chinese groups.

But there remain questions on how the higher levy would apply to products using foreign parts.

There is also a risk that Beijing will adopt retaliatory measures, analysts warned.

Japan: Rice, autos at stake

Despite being a close US ally and major source of foreign investment, Japan might not escape Trump's tariff hike.

Tokyo's trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa has made numerous trips to Washington through the end of June.

But Trump recently criticized what he described as Japan's reluctance to open up further to US rice and auto exports.

"I'm not sure we're going to make a deal," Trump said, adding that the country could pay a tariff of "30 percent, 35 percent, or whatever the number is that we determine."

India: A good position

Indian manufacturers and exporters want to believe they can avoid a 26 percent tariff.

Negotiations between both countries have been going well for weeks, and Trump himself suggested at the end of June that a "very big" agreement was imminent.

Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said the feedback he received "suggests positive developments." But he maintained that the situation was fluid.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stressed that agriculture and dairy products remain "very big red lines."

South Korea: Muted optimism

Seoul, which is already reeling from US tariffs on steel and autos, wants to avert a sweeping 25 percent levy on its other exports.

Cooperation in shipbuilding could be a bargaining chip, but "at this stage, both sides still haven't clearly defined what exactly they want," said new President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday.

"I can't say with confidence that we'll be able to wrap everything up by July 8," he added.

Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan in the wings

Other Asian economies including Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, which faces a 49 percent tariff, wait with bated breath.

Indonesia has indicated willingness to boost energy, agriculture and merchandise imports from the United States. Bangladesh meanwhile is proposing to buy Boeing planes and step up imports of US agriculture products.

Taiwan, for whom Washington is a vital security partner, faces a 32 percent duty without a pact.

Although both sides have faced bumps along the way, Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said "negotiators from both sides are working diligently" to find a path forward.

Switzerland: Hope for delay

Switzerland's government said Washington has acknowledged it was acting in good faith, and assumes its tariff level will remain at 10 percent on July 9 while negotiations continue.

But without a decision by the president as of the end of June, Switzerland did not rule out that levies could still rise to a promised 31 percent.