Education

1. I am a student residing abroad, and I hold a basic education certificate, i.e. grades 1-8. What are the required documents so I can enroll in Syrian schools? a. You need to submit the document of last grade you attended, (“PASSED” must be mentioned on it), along with your transcript, duly certified by the issuer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country, and the Syrian embassy/diplomatic mission to that country, along with a copy certified by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. b. Submit the above documents, along with a copy of the Family Booklet, and a medical report from the School Health [Department] of the Syrian Arab Republic, to the Directorate of Education of the governorate where you wish to stay. If no Family Booklet is available, an individual extract of the civil record may be accepted. c. If you are unable to submit the required document duly certified, you need to apply for a placement test to be admitted to the class that suits your age. 2. If I am a resident abroad, and I hold a preparatory school certificate from my country of residence, what are the required documents for my certificate’s equivalency so I can enroll in a Syrian school? a. You are required to submit a basic education certificate (preparatory school certificate or an equivalent certificate) if the country you come from provides this certificate or a document of passing the ninth grade, indicating your studied subjects and grades along with a copy of it certified by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Damascus. The Directorate sends the student’s whole application including the original documents to the School Documents Committee of the Examinations Directorate of the Ministry of Education for the necessary equivalency. b. Submit the above documents, along with a copy of the Family Booklet and a medical report from the School Health [Department] of the Syrian Arab Republic, to the Education Directorate of the government you wish to reside in. If no Family Booklet is available, an individual extract of the civil record is accepted. c. You need to take an exam that is equivalent to the basic education certificate as accredited in the Syrian Arab Republic, according to what is decided by the committee that oversees equivalency of certificates in the Ministry of Education. 3. If I am studying in one of the secondary grades of education, what are the required documents so I can enroll in a Syrian school? a. You need to submit a school document, whether passing or failure, proving the result of the latest grade you studied in the secondary level, in addition to the basic education certificate, the document of passing the ninth grade. b. Submit the above documents, along with a copy of an individual extract of the civil record, or ID card, and a medical report from the School Health [Department] of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Education Directorate of the government you wish to reside in. 4. If I hold the secondary [school] certificate, i.e. Baccalaureate, from my country of residence, what are the required documents for my certificate’s equivalency so I can enroll in a Syrian university? a. You need to submit your secondary school certificate including your transcript in detail (a transcript with “PASSED” mentioned) along with a sequence of secondary school level, transcript for each of the grades that you attended in the secondary level and the basic education certificate (ninth grade). b. All documents must be duly certified by the issuer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country, and the Syrian embassy/diplomatic mission to that country. You must approach the Certificate Equivalency Department of the Ministry of Education in Damascus where the equivalency process of your certificate will be carried out. 5. Is there any special procedure if my basic education or preparatory school certificate or document of passing the ninth grade is in a foreign language? You must take the supplementary subjects’ exam for the basic education certificate in the subjects of Arabic and social studies (History, Geography). 6. Do I have to take an exam for my certificate equivalency? What is the authority in charge of conducting such exam? a. You have to take the certificate equivalency exam if you have a ninth-grade certificate (or an equivalent certificate) or a secondary school certificate (Baccalaureate) issued according to foreign educational curricula. You have to approach the Certificate Equivalency Department of the Ministry of Education in Damascus in January, July, or October, knowing that the exams will be conducted in: February, August, or November. b. For the equivalency of a foreign secondary school certificate, you are required to take the supplementary subjects’ exam of the secondary certificate in the subjects of Arabic, History and Geography adopted in the Syrian curriculum. c. For the equivalency of a preparatory school certificate, you are required to take the supplementary subjects’ exam of the preparatory certificate in the subjects of Arabic and social studies (History, Geography). 7. If I don’t have a foreign school certificate, can I pursue my education in a Syrian school? a. If you are an elementary/preparatory school student, you can pursue your education in the Syrian schools after you take a knowledge test, administered by the school Knowledge Testing Panel, in the following subjects: Arabic, mathematics, foreign language, and biology to determine your educational level according to the age group accepted in the basic education classes. b. Depending on the test results, you may enroll in the school after being referred by the Education Directorate of the government in which you reside. c. Submit the test result, along with a letter of the Education Directorate, a copy of the Family Booklet, and a medical report from the School Health [Department] of the Syrian Arab Republic, to the nearest school to which you will be referred by the Education Directorate. If no Family Booklet is available, an individual extract of the civil record is accepted. d. If you are a secondary school student, you will be admissible only if you have documents proving that you attended the grade you have reached in the secondary school along with a document of passing the ninth grade or a basic education certificate. 8. If my certificate is not duly certified, or I do not have the original certificate, can I pursue my education? If your documents are incomplete, you may be admitted conditionally by the Education Directorate for a period of two months as per your latest school document or a copy thereof for the school year prior to your admission until you can complete and certify your documents. Such admission may be extended for a second time by the Education Directorate during the same school year. If you fail to submit the required documents duly certified, all your documents will be forwarded to School Documentation Committee of the Department of Examinations of the Ministry of Education to consider re-extension. Education fees – There are no registration fees applied in public schools except for the school card fee and stamps (Financial stamp – Teachers Union). – The fee for the equivalency of the secondary education certificate for the Syrian student is (SP 25,000) twenty-five thousand Syrian pounds, after verifying its validity, in addition to the fee for the supplementary subjects’ exam for the equivalency of the secondary and basic education certificates issued according to the foreign educational curricula granted to Syrian students, which is (SP 50,000) fifty thousand Syrian pounds. – There is no fee applied for the equivalency of a basic education certificate. Education directorates in the Syrian governorates Rural Damascus Daraa Coach Station, Bab Musla As Suwayda Opposite to the Governorate Building Quneitra AlKhadami Neighborhood, Al-Baath City Daraa Al-Maleya Square Homs Turablus Road, Alenshaat Hama Nile Street, Nasr Neighborhood Aleppo Foustoq Halab, Jamiliyeh Idleb Saba Bahrat Square Deir ez-Zur Near the Military Hospital, Saba Bahrat Square Ar-Raqqa Near the Recruitment Department, As-Sabkha Al-Hasakah Opposite to the Museum, Al-Masbah street, Al-Méridien Neighborhood Damascus Opposite to Dahdah Cemetery, Baghdad Street Latakia Haroun Square, Atrbiyah Highway Tartus Itesalata and Baladya Street, Mouhafaza Square