Syrian Druze Students' Education Disrupted by Government-Clan Feud

Students in Syria's Sweida province are unable to continue their education due to escalating disputes between the post-Bashar al-Assad government, led by Islamists, and the leaders of the Druze community. This instability in the province, which is the last region outside central government control, has severely impacted students' lives. Maram Abu Hamra, a 20-year-old aspiring architecture student, returned to Sweida over a year ago, fearing to go to government-controlled areas. She told Reuters that "sadness, fear, and anger" had overshadowed students' dreams of becoming professionals. Sweida, home to an estimated 700,000 Druze, is largely controlled by forces loyal to Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri. Al-Hajri has declared the community "an integral part of the State of Israel," a statement that has drawn attention from Israeli Druze leaders. Syrian President Ahmad al-Shar' has pledged to reunify the country and restore relations with the West after Assad's ouster in 2024. However, many Druze distrust these assurances due to al-Shar's past ties to Al-Qaeda and the previous year's mass killings. Fahd Abu Saad, whose son and daughter missed final exams, stated their fear is "justified because there have been previous incidents not long ago, not even a year ago."

Syrian authorities initially canceled high school and university entrance exams in Sweida last year following the killings. Al-Hajri has since consolidated his control, expelling Syrian government forces and forming an armed faction called the "National Guard." His territory is now the only area not under government control, following a swift government offensive in northeastern Syria that led Kurdish authorities there to pursue integration. Students who had been studying elsewhere returned to Sweida in 2025, but exams were again disrupted this year amid mutual accusations between the government and Druze factions. Damascus's offer to send observers to oversee exams was seen by some Druze as a ploy to re-establish government forces. Qutaiba Azzam, a government official in Sweida, claimed local factions threatened the observers, a claim Reuters could not independently verify. An August proposal for students from al-Hajri-controlled areas to take exams in northern Sweida, controlled by the government, also sparked fear among students and parents. Abu Saad questioned the government's concern for its representatives while "we are forbidden to fear for our children going to the picture or to the northern countryside areas."

Some Druze fear that traveling to government-controlled territories for exams could lead to them being branded traitors by al-Hajri's forces. Local official Tariq Adwan reported that armed factions in Sweida attacked buses meant to transport students, which Reuters also could not independently verify. Al-Hajri's office and the Syrian Ministry of Education declined to comment. Government figures indicate that only 150 out of 13,700 students in Sweida were able to take exams this year, essential for high school or university progression. The remaining students, like Maram, face continued uncertainty, mirroring the broader situation in Sweida, a region that has maintained significant autonomy for years, even during the prolonged civil war. A seven-step roadmap agreed upon by the Syrian government, Jordan, and the U.S. last year to resolve the conflict in Sweida has reportedly made no progress, according to the UN in June.