Updated

Reports published October 19, 2026 found that Syria's new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa has replaced pan-Arab nationalist content in school curricula with Islamist ideology and restricted some university programs to men. A study by IMPACT-se found the new curriculum targets scientific theories like evolution and the Big Bang, while Syria's Higher Education Ministry separately announced that law, economics and social sciences programs at the National University of Defense Sciences would be restricted to male students, raising concerns about women's rights.