Students in Syria begin school year with new uniform

KUN0019 4 GEN 0207 KUWAIT /KUNA-IVI1 EDU-SYRIA-SCHOOLS-UNIFORM Students in Syria begin school year with new uniform By Talal Al-Kayed DAMASCUS, Sept 16 (KUNA) -- For scores of years, school students in Syria have worn military like khaki colored uniforms where as this year a new uniform has been introduced, military education in high-school has been annulled and the teaching of the English language in elementary school and French in the intermediate schools has been added. People living in Syria were accustomed to seeing small children in military uniforms going to school looking like a small army, but today the children looked very festive in their new colorful uniforms. This year the Syrian Ministry of Education issued new regulations stipulating that elementary students wear a light blue uniform, intermediate students wear navy blue with a pink shirt for girls and a light blue shirt for boys while the color of uniform for high-school students has become gray with a pink shirt for girls and a light blue shirt for boys. Previously all students wore khaki colored clothes and could be recognized as elementary, intermediate or high-school students only by the different colored badges placed on the shoulder like a military rank. Because of the change in uniform, shops and commercial malls all over Syria were over-flown with customers which was not the case before and during the time of the military clothing since students would wear the same clothes year after year and would only change the size or color of the badge. Also new this year, is that the Syrian Ministry of Education has decided to cancel military education in schools and to substitute it with summer camps and other extra-curricular activities. The Ministry of Education has also decided to add this year the teaching of English starting from second grade in elementary and the teaching of French beginning from seventh grade. The Ministry of Higher Education has decided to cancel military training in universities and to just have two-year military service upon graduation. Also Baath (ruling party in Syria) education has been cut down to only one year in universities when in the past it had been mandatory throughout the university years and would be taught by figures from outside the university faculty by Baath party members. According to statistics this year, there are around four million students in all three educational levels who attended school this year. (end) tk.kf KUNA 161100 Sep 03NNNN