Turkey's occupation of northern Syria includes Education

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes no
secret of his intention to uproot Kurdish self-rule in northern Syria and
change the demographic character of the region, often reiterating Ankara’s plan
to move up to two million refugees to a safe zone that is planned to be set up
in the Operation Peace Spring region in the northeast. Addressing the UN
General Assembly last year, Erdogan said Turkey initially planned to transfer
up to one million refugees to the area by constructing 140 villages and 10
towns in the region. The second phase of the plan involves extending the
resettlements to the town of Deir ez-Zor, which lies on the critical M-4
highway linking the country’s east and west.
Turkey’s cross-border operations in Syria remain
in full swing despite the novel coronavirus outbreak that sent the world into
turmoil. Population transfers to the east of the Euphrates River from the
western side are increasing along with the Turkish military activities.
On April 20, a convoy of 151 vehicles, including
14 buses, departed from Jarablus, arrived in Turkey via the Karkamis crossing
and then crossed into Tell Abyad from the Turkish town of Akcakale.
Videos of the convoy were leaked over social
media, forcing the governor’s office in Turkey’s southern border province of
Urfa to respond. A written statement on April 21 inexplicably claimed that the
convoy was carrying families displaced from Tell Abyad under the Kurdish
administration. Turkish media reports hailed the news, saying downtrodden
families who had escaped the Kurdish rule in Tell Abyad and settled in Afrin
were now returning to their homes.
The secondary exams program organized by the
"local council in the city of Afrin" - an administrative structure
established in 2018 after Turkey's control of the city and includes members
loyal to Turkey - obligated students to take exams in the Turkish language, and
the absence of the Kurdish language from studying and exams.
Turkey has full control over the educational
process in its areas of direct influence in the Syrian north, although the
curricula prevalent in schools there are the same as those of the "interim
government" that have been modified to the curricula of the Syrian
Ministry of Education and materials have been added to the Turkish language,
according to the Violations Documentation Center in northern Syria.
The Center pointed out in its report, Wednesday,
May 20, 2020, that the Turkish policy affected the curricula and a change in
the contents and political references, most notably in the subjects of history
and geography, because they contain "fallacies" from the point of
view of Turkey, as, for example, any words were removed It refers to an
"Ottoman occupation" and its replacement by an Ottoman
"rule". Turkish language courses were also opened inside schools, and
educational staff and students are required to attend.
The report pointed out that the government of
"Erdogan" is seeking to implement the Turkish educational system in
the areas under its control, which was confirmed by Alireza Alton El, director
of the "Lifelong Learning" program in the Turkish Ministry of Education,
in an interview with the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat in September
2019 He said that the ministry is working to transfer the educational
experience in Turkey, especially the e-learning system to the Euphrates Shield
regions within a short period.
These regions include about 500 schools, about
150,000 students study, and the Turkish language is the first in the schools of
these regions.
The report also referred to the issuance of
educational offices in the provincial council of Aleppo, which is controlled by
Turkey, a decision to include the Turkish language in the school curricula from
the elementary stage until the secondary stage.
In addition, many schools are named after
Turkish people, in relation to the deaths in some battles during Operation
Euphrates Shield.
Last January, the Turkish authorities opened the
school of "Governor Ahmed Torgay Imam Geylar" in the city of
Jarabulus, which is under its control in northeastern Syria, and pictures of
the opening of the school showed a number of Turkish officials under the
Turkish flag and another for the Syrian opposition, and among the participants
was an officer of the Turkish army.
The Turkish flag is raised over many government
headquarters and bodies, and the names of these departments are written in both
Turkish and Arabic, and Turkish letters appear larger in size than their Arab
counterparts.