Church schools in northeast Syria will keep teaching the Syrian Ministry of Education curriculum after the Council of Churches and the Autonomous Administration's Education Authority reached an agreement, ending a dispute over education policy.

In a statement on Sunday, the Council of Churches in al-Jazira and the Euphrates regions of Syria called for promoting national unity, coexistence, and peace across Syria, stressing the importance of the March 10 Agreement between the Syrian transitional government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to ensure a stable and secure future for the country.

The understanding follows months of tension as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) had banned the use of the Syrian state curriculum in areas under its control, closing government schools and universities to new student registration while enforcing its own educational program. The closures included dozens of private schools affiliated with churches.

Earlier, Adnan Bri, co-chair of the Education Authority, told North Press that 11 Christian schools in the al-Jazira area still use the Damascus-issued curriculum, which he described as "Baath-era material," adding that the schools charge tuition fees, violating the administration's principle of free education.

Bri explained that the schools--located in Hasakah, Qamishli, and Derik--belong to Syriac, Evangelical Presbyterian, and Armenian communities and are "private institutions not formally linked to the churches, offering academic rather than religious instruction." He noted that the authority had not closed any schools but aims to implement a unified curriculum, ensuring free education for all.

The Assyrian Democratic Party condemned the AANES' decisions as "an infringement on the Assyrian community's right to official education and a threat to students' futures." It also criticized the lack of consultation with Assyrian representatives.