Syria
Hasaka Governor Nour al-Din Issa Ahmed speaking to Rudaw on February 3, 2026. Photo: Screengrab / Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nour al-Din Issa, governor of Hasaka province in the Kurdish-led administration of northeast Syria (Rojava), said Saturday that providing school curricula in Kurdish is critical to the success of integration talks with the Syrian interim government.
“It is very much possible and acts as a guarantee for the agreement's success,” Issa told Rudaw’s Nalia Hassan, describing the conditions for enabling education in Kurdish areas as “positive.”
Since 2011, authorities in Rojava have implemented a separate educational curriculum introducing Kurdish-language instruction that differs from the Syrian state syllabus. Recent agreements between Damascus and Kurdish authorities have opened the door for greater academic coordination, including allowing students to sit national exams and obtain government-recognized certificates.
Officializing Kurdish within the wider Syrian educational system has become a central issue in negotiations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Two proposals on Kurdish-language education are currently under discussion. One would introduce Kurdish as a weekly elective subject, while the other would involve translating the Syrian national curriculum as an optional subject in Hasaka, Kobane, Afrin, and Sheikh Maqsoud, Ahmed Hilal, spokesperson for the Syrian presidency team overseeing the SDF-Damascus agreement, told Rudaw on Wednesday.
“I consider this one of the most vital steps,” the Kurdish governor said.
After weeks of fierce clashes, the Syrian interim government and the SDF - Rojava’s de facto army - signed a 14-point agreement on January 29 aimed at integrating Kurdish forces and civilian institutions into the Syrian state.
The deal launched a phased de-escalation process, allowing government forces to enter the Kurdish-majority cities of Hasaka and Qamishli while outlining steps toward political, military, and civilian integration.
SDF-appointed officials later assumed posts within the Syrian government, including the Hasaka governor and Deputy Defense Minister Sipan Hamo.
Four SDF brigades have also been formed within the Syrian army, with Ahmed describing the process as moving “smoothly.”
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