Ahmed Murad to Welat TV: Lists of Schools Teaching Kurdish in Syria Are Not Final
Welat TV – Erbil
Ahmed Murad, a member of the Education and Teaching Committee of the Syrian People’s Assembly, said the lists issued by Syria’s Ministry of Education identifying schools designated to teach Kurdish in several Syrian provinces are not final, noting that additional lists will be issued to include a larger number of schools.
Speaking to Welat TV on Saturday, September 12, 2026, Murad said the number of schools included in the program would be “much larger” than those on the current list, pointing out that Kurdish-populated and Kurdish-majority areas, cities, and villages have not yet been included in the decision. He said a large number of citizens from different parts of Syria contact the committee on a daily basis to request the inclusion of Kurdish-language instruction in the schools attended by their children.
Their demands, he said, extend “from Afrin to Ain Dewar, and as far as Hauran, Hama, and Damascus.” Murad said the current number of designated schools “does not meet the purpose,” given the growing interest in learning Kurdish, and expected a significant expansion in the number of schools covered by the program.
He also noted that interest in learning Kurdish is not limited to Kurdish citizens, saying that Arab citizens have also expressed a desire for their children to learn the Kurdish language.
Kurdish Education Discussed in Damascus
Murad said he had also held a seminar with residents of Damascus’ Kurdish neighborhood of Ruknaddin at a cultural center, attended by Syrian People’s Assembly member Dr. Mustafa Abdi, along with a number of officials, community figures, tribal elders, and local residents.
The meeting addressed various issues related to teaching Kurdish in public schools, as well as the future of Kurdish-language education in public schools and universities.
Murad said the seminar included answers to residents’ questions about mechanisms for teaching Kurdish and its future, describing the atmosphere as “positive” and the meeting as “productive.” He described the gathering as the first official event of its kind in the Syrian capital to discuss Kurdish language and cultural issues in Kurdish inside an official institution and venue.
938 Schools Approved to Teach Kurdish
Syria’s Ministry of Education has officially approved 938 schools to teach Kurdish as a national language across four provinces as part of the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, which provides for the inclusion of Kurdish in the official education curriculum.
According to the ministry’s official accounts on Thursday, September 10, the approved schools include 608 in Hasaka province, 308 in Aleppo province, 17 in Damascus, and five in Hama. Under the decision, Kurdish will be taught in three classes per week, while learning the language will remain optional for students during the transitional implementation period.
The approval follows Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, which provided for the inclusion of Kurdish in the official education curriculum and established a framework for teaching the language in the designated schools.