The Education and Teaching Authority in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has withdrawn the new curriculum that it proposed in the city of Manbij, eastern Aleppo, following protests and a strike that lasted over 20 days in the region in rejection of the curriculum.

The authority stated via Facebook on Thursday, October 17, that it decided to continue the educational process in Manbij based on the old curriculum.

It pointed out that it would add some subjects to the old curriculum, without specifying what these subjects are.

It added that the implementation of the new curriculum decision issued by it will take place in some schools in Manbij during the current academic year, without precisely identifying them.

According to the circular issued by the Autonomous Administration, preparations for implementing the new educational curriculum will continue during the next academic year.

AANES stated that the circular was issued after several meetings and extensive discussions with the local community.

Since last September, protests have erupted in Manbij and its countryside in response to the Autonomous Administration, which controls the area, proposing a new educational curriculum that includes educational materials deemed offensive to the culture of the residents of Manbij and other areas in northeastern Syria.

Manbij has closed its shops and commercial markets for several days, and protesters have taken to the streets in peaceful demonstrations in public squares and in front of the Education and Teaching Authority building, with the latest occurring on Tuesday, October 15, which ended with security forces attacking the demonstrators.

In a previous statement to Enab Baladi, a responsible source in the Social Affairs Authority of the Autonomous Administration said that what it described as “provocative entities” plays on the lack of recognition of the curriculum and the accustomed years of studying the regime’s government curriculum, which creates confusion if it changes.

The source added that the Autonomous Administration has a political and community vision for the situation in the area and allows peaceful demonstrations but under laws and conditions that must be followed, including submitting a request about the demonstration and the banners to be carried and requesting protection from the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and that the demonstrators do not occupy the streets.

The current protests in Manbij are not the first of their kind, as similar protests occurred in Deir Ezzor, al-Hasakah, and Raqqa last year during the first attempt to introduce the curriculum.

The Autonomous Administration curriculum includes several aspects that residents of northeastern Syria have considered problematic, such as a map of Kurdistan that includes parts of Syria, in addition to sentences attributed to the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Öcalan, which refers to him as a “philosopher,” and other materials related to different religions.