The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) operating in Idlib announced the formation of a 17-member committee to oversee the issue of university degree holders from regime-controlled areas after 2016, against the backdrop of student protests in Idlib.

The Salvation Government assigned two tasks to the committee; the first is to study the degrees granted by universities in regime-controlled areas after December 31, 2016, and the arrivals to the northern Syrian areas, and the conditions and criteria for accepting them.

The second task for the committee is to study the degrees from areas under the control of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) in Aleppo countryside, granting them the benefits of graduates from universities accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education in the Salvation Government, including appointments, completing postgraduate programs, and obtaining professional practice licenses.

The committee will enlist whoever it deems appropriate to accomplish its work and will notify the necessary parties to implement the decision, according to the resolution issued yesterday, Monday, May 6.

The decision tasked 17 individuals, most of them in governmental positions and in universities in the region, in addition to engineers, lawyers, and representatives from the Students Union in Idlib.

Protests and a strike

The decision comes after a wave of anger from students in Idlib, and a protest they organized on May 4, in front of the Cabinet building in the Salvation Government, rejecting the appointment of university graduates from regime-controlled areas in Idlib.

The protestors demanded the suspension of all procedures related to the degrees of graduates from regime-controlled areas, from equivalency to granting professional licenses.

The students denounced the failure to implement the Salvation Government’s decision, which stipulates the prohibition of employing graduates from Syrian universities and institutes outside its controlled areas after 2016, considering them “false, deceptive promises.”

Some students, who spoke to Enab Baladi, mentioned the increasing acceptance of degrees from regime-controlled areas, which harms graduates from universities in northern Syria amid scarce job opportunities, followed by calls for an education strike until their demands are met.

Compromised decision

On September 5, 2022, the Salvation Government issued a decision to prohibit graduates of universities and institutes in Syria outside its controlled areas from working for its ministries and affiliated agencies after 2016 unless certain conditions were met.

The Salvation Government gave priority for appointments to graduates of Syrian universities in the “liberated” areas (Idlib and its countryside).

The Salvation Government required for overriding the ban, the equivalency of the academic qualification at its Ministry of Higher Education and residency in its controlled areas for no less than five years.

Despite the decision at that time, news spread about the appointment of graduates from regime universities in institutions in the area, which angered the students in Idlib and prompted them to organize a protest in November 2022 in front of the presidency building of Idlib University.

Decision from the Salvation Government in Idlib to form a specialized committee to follow up on the issue of university degree holders from areas under the control of the Syrian regime after 2016 (Salvation Government)

Decision from the Salvation Government in Idlib to form a specialized committee to follow up on the issue of university degree holders from areas under the control of the Syrian regime after 2016 (Salvation Government)