Türkiye, Syria launch comprehensive education cooperation

DAMASCUS

The Turkish national education minister on Tuesday announced the launch of a comprehensive cooperation process between Türkiye and Syria in the field of education.

His Syrian counterpart attach great importance to Türkiye’s experience and expertise in the education sector and have requested support, Yusuf Tekin told Anadolu following official talks in the captial Damascus.

Tekin said Türkiye has maintained continuous contact with its Syrian counterparts since the fall of the former regime last year, emphasizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s commitment to a strong, independent Syria where peace and human rights prevail.

"After our colleagues at the director-general level paved the way through their visits, we came here to take the next steps," Tekin said, adding that he spoke with Syrian Education Minister Mohammad Abdulrahman Tarko and Higher Education Minister Marwan Al-Halabi on the present and future of the cooperation process.

“Our entire approach and policy are focused on helping our neighbors, our brothers with whom we share a long history, stand strong as a prosperous, independent, and sovereign country,” he stressed.

Highlighting that Türkiye shares its longest land border with Syria, Tekin underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral ties, particularly in light of Türkiye’s terror-free goal.

“We are here to express our readiness to support efforts that will contribute to strengthening Syria,” he said.

Joint work on curriculum, textbooks, and teacher training

Tekin said both sides agreed to collaborate on areas ranging from restructuring education processes to revising curricula and designing textbooks.

“In this context, we formed joint working groups and evaluated how we will proceed,” he said, adding that redesigning the curriculum was among the top priorities identified by Syrian authorities.

He also stressed that Türkiye would share its expertise in teacher training as part of the cooperation framework.

800,000 Syrian students in Türkiye

Addressing Syrian students in Türkiye, Tekin said approximately 800,000 Syrian children and youth were enrolled in Turkish schools during the last academic year.

“Coordinating their dignified and voluntary return is also an important issue,” he said.

Tekin added that discussions included technical topics such as aligning returning students with Syria’s education system according to grade levels, preparing relevant legislation, and restructuring examination systems.

He emphasized that the Türkiye-Syria education cooperation will be built on mutual respect and serve as a model for international partnerships.

Some 4 million Syrians came to Türkiye during the 13-year civil war, including young people and students, but over 400,000 have returned since last December, when the Assad regime fell.