Growing University System in DAANES Begins a New Year

Another school year has begun in the university system in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). Over 3,000 students attend the three DAANES universities, Rojava University, located in Qamishlo, Kobane University in Kobane, and the newest, Al-Sharq University in Raqqa. A fourth, the University of Afrin, was forced to close following the Turkish occupation of the city in 2018.

Building Alternative Universities in the Midst of War and Revolution

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-Eastern Syria (DAANES) is building an alternative education system under siege from multiple powers, defying the control of the Ba’athist education system of the Assad regime as well as the Turkish occupation forces and their proxies. The alternative system has accomplished such measures as the reintroduction of the Kurdish language for young students—drastically altering the way of life in the region. However, building institutions of higher education in an area where many native Kurds could not even have Syrian citizenship two decades ago poses a major challenge.