Druze militias block student travel for exams, sparking governor's criticism

On Aug 29, armed factions representing the Druze majority in Syria’s Sweida province prevented students from traveling to government-run exam venues, insisting that the tests be administered in Druze-controlled districts. The governor, Mustafa al-Bakkur, condemned the blockade as an attempt to use education as a political bargaining chip. Roughly 150 students succeeded in taking the exams after departing the contested areas days earlier.

A teenage student described how an armed group blocked a bus, threatened the passengers and fired shots into the air to deter them. The education ministry expressed regret that not all candidates could reach the testing sites. The incident follows a wave of violence that erupted in 2025 between Druze factions and government-aligned forces, which resulted in thousands of deaths and drew Israeli military strikes in support of the Druze community.