The Freedom Institute School in Syria decides to separate boys from girls
The school administration justifies the decision because there have been cases of harassment, fights, and a decline in the number of female students
Quick Look
The administration of the Freedom Institute (LAIK) school in Syria announced the decision to separate male and female students in classrooms and courtyards, with the exception of the primary stage, attributing this to reasons related to discipline and the decline in the number of female students, amid widespread controversy over personal freedoms and the influence of conservative movements.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The school was founded in 1925 during the French Mandate, and was nationalized by the Baath Party in the 1960s. The school is an ancient educational institution from which prominent figures in Syrian society have graduated.
In a post on the “Facebook” platform, the administration of the “Freedom Institute” school, known in Syria as “LAIK,” announced on Monday, “the separation of males from females, in order to ensure the interest of our students.”
She explained that she allocated separate classrooms and courtyards, except for the primary stage.
In a subsequent explanatory publication, the administration justified the decision by citing cases of “harassment and bullying of girls,” students wasting their time with “love stories,” and violent quarrels.
She added that families decided to transfer their daughters from school, rejecting the mixing of females with males, and that the percentage of females in the school was declining.
The school stressed that no official body has anything to do with this decision, while the Ministry of Education did not issue any comment.
This school dates back to the year 1925, during the French Mandate, and was opened by the secular mission. Prominent people in Syrian society graduated from it, and former President Bashar al-Assad also studied there.
In the 1960s, the Baath Party, after coming to power, nationalized the school like all foreign schools, and called it “Freedom.”
The decision renewed a debate that is repeated from time to time on social media sites about personal freedoms and the place of religion in the public sphere, amid fears expressed by activists about the expanding influence of conservative and extremist religious movements in social life and civil institutions.
Open Questions
- Will the Syrian Ministry of Education take official action on the decision?
- What is the actual size of the decline in the number of female students?
