diff --git a/src/agentscope/models/ollama_model.py b/src/agentscope/models/ollama_model.py
index 55cc5083c..0dec98e34 100644
--- a/src/agentscope/models/ollama_model.py
+++ b/src/agentscope/models/ollama_model.py
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ def format(
         system_content = "\n".join(system_content_template)
 
         system_message = {
-            "role": "system",
+            "role": "user",
             "content": system_content,
         }
 
diff --git a/tests/format_test.py b/tests/format_test.py
index 00582d2ff..de0ccb510 100644
--- a/tests/format_test.py
+++ b/tests/format_test.py
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ def test_ollama_chat(self) -> None:
         # correct format
         ground_truth = [
             {
-                "role": "system",
+                "role": "user",
                 "content": (
                     "You are a helpful assistant\n"
                     "\n"