Exploring the Impact of ISIS on Education in Northeast Syria

• In Event: Changing Educations in Conflict and Peace: War, Violence, and Education Reform

Proposal

In 2014, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) rapidly and brutally seized control of parts of Northeast Syria, establishing a relatively well-structured proto-state in the wake of these advances. Among ISIS’ 23 governing authorities, the Diwan al-Taalim (Ministry of Education and Teaching for the Islamic Caliphate State) was responsible for overseeing education in ISIS-controlled areas (Buriel, 2022). This study explores the impact of ISIS on education across different dimensions including teachers and teaching, curriculum and textbooks, students and learning spaces in areas under ISIS control in Northeast Syria from January 2014 until the group’s territorial collapse after the ‘Battle of Baghouz’ in March 2019 (BBC, 2019). The research also analyzes the lasting repercussions for education stemming from years of ISIS rule

This research aims to amplify the voices and experiences of affected people in Northeast Syria. By presenting these previously unheard perspectives, the paper also contributes to the body of literature on conflict and education and calls for more concerted efforts by the local, regional, and international communities to further engage in the rehabilitation of education systems and affected people in Northeast Syria.

In terms of methodology, the study utilizes a mixed methods approach. First, the researchers conducted a thorough examination of open-source databases, research papers, reports, and newspaper articles. Copies of textbook materials and public memoranda shared with students and teachers by the Diwan al-Taalim were also examined. While this information is valuable in its own right, much of this literature does not consider the perspective of affected individuals and communities. In the second stage of research, interviews with 23 key informant interviews from seven cities within four governorates in Northeast Syria were conducted. These interviews were held with 13 current and former teachers, three education officials, a civil council member, a former student, the wife of a former teacher, a pensioner, a freelancer, a grocer, and an international expert. It also included a series of 11 focus group sessions with a total of 87 participants.

The paper finds that, under ISIS, the role of teachers was significantly transformed from empowered educators to implementers of Salafi-jihadi doctrine promoted by the new ISIS curriculum. This transformation was formalized through obligatory mass repentance oath-taking and religious re-education programs that lasted ten months or more. Similarly, the curriculum taught in areas under ISIS control served as an instrument for indoctrination and dissemination of the group's extremist ideology, completely replacing the previous Syrian government curriculum, and focusing instead on subjects like Islamic education and Quranic studies. The research also highlights the detrimental impact on students during this period. Their right to quality education was denied and they were exposed to excessive violence and fear resulting in attendance disruptions, unequal treatment of girls as compared with boys, the loss of safe learning spaces, and psychosocial trauma. Today, the paper finds that the education system in Northeast Syria remains overstretched, fragmented, and poorly funded. However, this research shows that the hope for a reformed education system persists among residents and education officials. As one anonymous respondent aptly stated (2023), “Ignorance is the ardent enemy of every evil phenomenon. [Preference should be given] to education, which is key to progress. Our societies have endured enough. We hope civil society associations and NGOs pay attention to these areas [in the future].”

Authors

• Soha Saeed Mohamed Osman, Elm International

• Susan Kippels, University of Washington

• Sahar ElAsad, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge