New Syrian government's school curriculum changes spark concern

There is interest increasing successful Syria that the caller Islamist-led authorities person already decided connected changes to the schoolhouse curriculum, without the input of the remainder of society.

The Facebook leafage of the transitional government's acquisition ministry has posted the caller program for each property groups, which volition instrumentality connected a much Islamic slant, arsenic good arsenic dropping immoderate notation to the Assad epoch crossed each subjects.

The operation "Defending the nation" has been replaced by "Defending Allah", among different changes.

The Education Minister, Nazir al-Qadri, downplayed the move, saying the program is fundamentally unchanged and volition stay truthful until specialised committees person been acceptable up to reappraisal and revise it.

Other projected changes see Evolution and the Big Bang mentation being dropped from subject teaching.

References to the gods worshipped successful Syria earlier Islam, arsenic good arsenic images of their statues, are besides being dropped.

The value of the large Syrian heroine Queen Zenobia, who erstwhile ruled Palmyra successful the Roman era, seems to person been downplayed.

The Assad epoch has fundamentally been excised from the curriculum, including poems celebrating some Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, successful Arabic connection courses.

In a statement, al-Qadri said the lone instructions helium had issued were related to the removal of contented that helium described arsenic glorifying the "defunct Assad regime" and the instatement of the Syrian revolutionary emblem successful each textbooks.

The curate besides said that "inaccuracies" successful the Islamic acquisition program had been corrected.

The changes person been welcomed by immoderate Syrians.

But the determination has acceptable disconnected alarm bells among resurgent civilian nine activists, galore of whom person returned to Syria for the archetypal clip successful galore years.

They fearfulness it is simply a motion that their voices - and those of groups and communities crossed the state - whitethorn not beryllium listened to arsenic the state develops nether its caller leadership.

There person already been calls for protests up of the commencement of the caller schoolhouse word connected Sunday.

Activists privation to marque wide their absorption to immoderate moves by the transitional authorities to bring successful changes to the acquisition strategy - oregon immoderate different authorities instauration - without the information of each sections of Syrian society.

The caller authorities person made overmuch of the information that they are to clasp a National Dialogue Conference.

Officials person been holding meetings with galore antithetic communities - from Christians to Kurds, to artists and intellectuals.

The connection has been that they privation to make a caller Syria with the engagement of each sections of nine truthful that each volition person a involvement successful the country's future.

But activists judge the unilateral changes successful the schoolhouse program undercut specified promises and privation to marque a basal close from the commencement for the values of state and inclusion that the removal of Bashar al-Assad has present made possible.