Damascus, Syria – Syrian Minister of Education Mohammad Abdul Rahman Turko held talks on Sunday with the Head of the European Union Mission in Syria, Michael Unmacht, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the education sector.
During the meeting at the Ministry’s headquarters in Damascus, Minister Turko stressed the importance of expanding cooperation with the EU to tackle challenges facing the country’s educational system, according to Syrian state TV “Al-Ikhbariyah.”
Turko expressed his appreciation for the EU Mission’s efforts in supporting education and other sectors in Syria.
For his part, Unmacht reaffirmed the EU’s readiness to boost support for Syria’s education sector, particularly in training and vocational education. He underlined the EU Mission’s willingness to listen to the Syrian government’s vision for developing education, continuing training programs, and improving teaching quality and staff capacity.
In May, the Syrian Ministry of Education launched an emergency response plan to help rebuild the country’s education system.
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Last month, Turko revealed that around 40% of Syria’s schools, about 7,849, have been destroyed, highlighting the government’s efforts to rehabilitate schools to accommodate over 1.5 million students expected to return from neighboring countries and camps.
He noted that the government has a two-part strategy: an emergency response and a long-term plan for the future of education in Syria. New and modernized curricula are set to be introduced next academic year, with work on further curriculum development to follow national and international standards.
Turko also stressed the importance of enhancing language skills, especially in English as a global language, alongside proper Arabic proficiency. He highlighted plans to modernize teaching methods, improve teachers’ training for Syria’s 253,000 educators, and embed values such as citizenship, tolerance, respect for the law, social peace, and digital skills.
The Ministry aims to rebuild schools evenly across destroyed regions in collaboration with other government bodies, with a focus on linking schools to digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
