Decentralisation in Syria’s Education System

Type: Policy Brief
Date: June 24, 2025

Summary
Syria’s education system is deeply fragmented and under strain. The Ministry of Education (MoE) faces the challenge of rebuilding 8,000 schools, reintegrating 3.4 million out-of-school children, and unifying five parallel systems under a common national framework. To address this, MoE has announced decentralisation—giving local directorates more autonomy to foster responsiveness, transparency, and innovation. This policy brief argues that decentralisation should be a process, not a single decision, to avoid risks such as widening inequality, lowering standards, and weakening accountability. The paper outlines a proposed process for decentralisation, to be led by the Ministry of Education.
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Key findings outline a three-step process for decentralisation led by the MoE:
 

• Starting now, MoE seizes the initiative - launching a clear proposal on its central role: Within 6-12 months, the Ministry can outline its expected national role, announcing its ambitions to unite and strengthen the education system, and explaining how local and regional roles will fit harmoniously within this national framework. This step aims to persuade the education sector of MoE’s central role and turn stakeholders into advocates for it.

• MoE centralises policy-setting and regulatory power: In 1-2 years, MoE should consolidate and clarify its core policy and regulatory decision-making role to become a more efficient central authority. This centralisation is critical for building trust in the system, attracting investment, and restoring coherence.

• MoE delegates implementation and integrates genuine consultation: After 2 years, the MoE needs to ensure the centralisation of policy powers is accompanied by 1) formal, genuine consultation requirements built into its processes 2) delegation of implementation to local levels. This balances a clear national framework with local needs and expertise, ensuring local expertise is trusted to implement to fit their contexts.

The brief identifies five strategic options for decentralisation: No change, Centralisation, Centralisation with consultation, Delegation, and Devolution. These options are assessed based on their legal, administrative, and financial feasibility, as well as their ability to strengthen national unity. The brief provides a detailed mapping of proposed levels of accountability for various education functions, including Governance, School organisation, Financing, Training, Curriculum, Monitoring, and Research. For each function, the mapping indicates whether responsibility lies with the Ministry of Education, Education Directorate, Education Assembly, or Schools, and the type of decentralisation involved. This clarifies how a balance between central authority and local responsiveness can be achieved.