Enab Baladi – Rama Deeb

Syrian students have stopped reciting the slogans of the Baath Party for the first time in over 50 years, with two weeks passing since schools returned in the middle of the academic year, marking a new beginning in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.

With the departure of the regime and its ousted president, an era of slogans and ideologies that had been used to entrench power and consolidate its rule came to an end.

The “eternal” sayings of Hafez al-Assad, which were prohibited from being touched upon, did not spare schools and the minds of students, becoming part of the history of a dark era, as images and replicas of Hafez and Bashar al-Assad were destroyed and torn apart throughout the schools across the country.

Initiatives

High school girls launched initiatives to change the school’s appearance associated with the ousted regime, removing images, flags, and slogans.

The assistant principal of Nabil Younis secondary school for girls in Damascus, Mira Aqeel, told Enab Baladi that the students began contacting and proposing initiatives before the official resumption of school, in the first week following the fall of the regime, to participate in removing images of the “fleeing” president and slogans of the Baath Party.

The flag of the revolution was present with the students, and the administration informed them during a morning meeting that there would no longer be recitation of Baath slogans or the national anthem, leading to questions from the students about what Syrian anthem they would sing, and whether subjects like Russian language or national education would be canceled, as reported by Aqeel.

Aqeel is also a mother to a young man near the age of her students, who told her he felt a difference in emotions between reciting the previous slogans (Baath Party slogans) and being liberated from them, as people have become free to express themselves and “speak from their hearts,” according to Aqeel.

Younger students are curious

Despite explanatory sessions for elementary school students in Aleppo, many of them still have not grasped the sudden change. “They are being asked to comprehend something beyond their mental capacity,” as described by their teacher, Hasnaa Kayali, to Enab Baladi.

Kayali, who is working in the educational sector under a contract, mentioned that her fourth-grade students are too young to comprehend the magnitude of the event, and they keep asking, “Why has the flag changed?”

Kayali tries, along with her colleagues at the school, through collective initiatives and daily morning meetings before lessons start, to discuss how to convey what has happened to the students.

She noted, “We deal with victory as if it is part of us,” and currently, the teaching staff focuses on celebrating the victory with the students to simplify this change for them.

Kayali emphasized the role of parents at home, as children convey their families’ thoughts outside. The roles of school and family are intertwined, and children need to experience the change in reality in a tangible way.

Students have shared stories with their teacher Kayali about what they have heard or seen regarding the previous regime’s prisons, as these stories have spread on social media and television, prompting her to tell them the story of Hamza al-Khateeb.

The shock of prison scenes

Psychosocial support specialist Rawan al-Sheikh Dibs told Enab Baladi that children should be kept away from social media, especially those under the age of nine, as children who have seen images of killings under torture or heard stories about prisons associate images of death with these scenes. For example, if someone in their family dies, they imagine death occurred in that manner.

Dibs emphasized that the change of the flag has opened up many questions for this age group, making it important to handle them appropriately regarding their age. She provided an example of children who expressed their love for the color green and found the new flag beautiful, adding that efforts should be made to encourage them towards learning and studying, and to convey the importance of this for their future and their country.

The psychological counselor at a high school for girls in Aleppo, Rula (who requested only her first name be mentioned for social reasons), noted that some children exhibited signs of fear and anxiety after watching or hearing stories about prisons. Therefore, it is essential to keep them away from such stories as much as possible.

Rula added that celebrations of the regime’s fall and the liberation of Syria opened up avenues for questions among the children, making explanations and clarifications easier, especially since children could perceive their parents’ fear and constant anxiety. During the previous regime’s rule, parents often instructed their children not to engage in discussions about general political or economic issues they heard.

Social specialist Rawan al-Sheikh Dibs indicated that dealing with older age groups (13 years and above) is easier with more extensive explanations and awareness of their responsibilities towards their country and its reconstruction.

This was echoed by Rula, who mentioned that scenes of torture and imprisonment have a different impact on older individuals. These stories increase this age group’s hatred for the injustices practiced by the previous regime, especially since it is rare to find a family that has not suffered from having a detained family member or someone close to them.

Rula spoke about the abrupt emotional transition, particularly the relief of no longer having to recite Baath Party slogans that were previously imposed, noting that recitation stemmed from fear. A teacher who did not ascend the platform to salute the flag for any reason would face political accusations that could lead to repercussions from the previous regime’s security apparatuses.

Upon the regime’s fall, Rula and her colleagues felt joy but also a shock from the rapid developments. “We will no longer do anything while we are afraid,” she said, alluding to the end of the obligatory recitation of Baath slogans.

Resumption of education

The Ministry of Education in the interim government in Damascus announced the resumption of the educational process starting from December 15, one week after the fall of the ousted regime.

The number of students in schools in Syria reached 4.7 million, according to ministry reports.

It confirmed that no lessons containing phrases related to the ousted regime would be taught and that efforts were underway to change the curricula.

Education Minister Nadhir al-Qadri stated that the ministry is working on modifying the curricula and improving the condition of schools, removing any elements associated with the ousted regime while enhancing and improving the educational process in Syria.