ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syria’s education ministry on Monday announced the preparation of a Kurdish-language curriculum and its coverage in schools in Kurdish-majority areas that are set to, in implementation of a recent presidential decree and amid ongoing attacks on Rojava (northeast Syria).

Earlier in January, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree aimed at providing linguistic and cultural rights for Kurds, designating Kurdish as a national language that can be taught as an “elective” course in the Kurdish-populated parts of Syria.

The ministry issued a decision outlining measures to implement the decree, which included “the preparation of Kurdish language curricula” and modifying the curriculum to “align with the national plan,” as well as “identifying schools that will teach Kurdish in areas where Kurdish citizens constitute a significant percentage of the population.”

Sharaa’s decree came following international backlash after the Islamist-led Syrian Arab Army’s brutal campaign on areas held by the Kurdish-led forces, during which Syrian fighters were documented committing human rights violations against the Kurdish population.

Kurdish authorities lament that the announced rights have yet to be constitutionalized, and are largely not implemented on the ground, with the Rojava administration asserting that rights cannot be guaranteed through temporary measures, calling for the decree to be inserted in the constitution.

The ministry’s decision comes as brutal attacks continue in Rojava, with the Syrian army and affiliated factions continuing to shell the Jazira region as well as a suffocating siege in the symbolic city of Kobane. At least five people, including two children, have so far died due to shortages of food and medical supplies.