A close look at the education reform in Syria Part II: Analysis By Mohammad Mustafa Al-Saleh The traditional framework of education in Syria has centred on a teacher giving lessons for an entire class session while his students silently listen. But Syria is now trying to shake off this static form of teaching, where textbooks are the only reference for […]

    A close look at the education reform in Syria Part 1: Introduction This year, Syrian schoolchildren at all levels are going to follow an entirely new academic program. The new books and programs are in line with the government’s vision for a more progressive educational system. The minister of education, Ali Saeed, said that the new programs are […]

SMN No. 9, September 23, 2010 [youtube id=eW1bsRBnzFM] A group of Syrian volunteers are using Facebook to coordinate aid for people displaced by drought and forced to live in makeshift tents cities in the outskirts of Damascus. Several years of drought in the once fertile area of the Jazeera, in the north-east of Syria, have driven tens of thousands of […]

SMN No. 9, September 17, 2010 As the controversy surrounding the establishment of an Islamic centre near Ground Zero in New York continues, a group of Syrians netizens have suggested a way out of the current quandary. Through a Facebook group, they called for a memorial symbolising the solidarity of the Muslim world with the victims of September 11 to […]

SMN No. 9, September 15, 2010 Internet users across the Arab world have been demonstrating their online support to a 19-year-old Syrian blogger held incommunicado by authorities since December. In Egypt, cyber-activists have started campaigns and support groups for Tal al-Mallohi on several social media networks, notably Twitter, which has not still gained as wide a popularity in Syria as […]

SMN No. 9, September 14, 2010 With the rise of video-sharing and social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook, it might be more difficult today to hide abuses happening behind closed doors in Syria. The latest scandal follows the posting of a short video showing two schoolteachers using physical violence against their students. The identity of the instructors and […]

SMN No. 9, September 8, 2010 The Facebook social network has become the favoured virtual space for many young Syrians to rally support for many common causes. But according to a cyber-activist, who asked to remain anonymous, the activities of youth over Facebook mostly concern social, cultural or literary issues. The cyber-activist noted that these “safe” topics, unlikely to cause […]

SMN No. 9, September 7, 2010 The fate of a 19-year-old Syrian blogger remains unknown some nine months after her arrest by the authorities. Tal al-Mallohi, 19 has been detained since December last year and both the reason for her arrest and her whereabouts remain unknown. Human rights activists say that her daring poems and opinion pieces posted on her […]

SMN No. 8, September 2, 2010 Old photographs and historical memories recall the pre-Baathist era A wave of nostalgia is sweeping over Syrian groups on Facebook, with hundreds of members sharing vintage photos of the country from the first half of the twentieth century. These groups are focusing on the time of the French mandate and the post-independence period before […]

When Bashar al-Assad came to power, Mohammad al-Abdallah believed things in Syria would finally change for good. Ten years later, he tells the story of a personal desillusionment. By Mohammad al-Abdallah Bashar Al-Assad has now been in power for 10 years. To me, that period equates to the length of time that members of my family and I have spent […]