Dêrik sit-in continues, Amuda protest rejects Kurdish education limits

The sit-in tent set up by the People’s Initiative in Dêrik, in front of Youssef al-Azma School, entered its sixth consecutive day, with residents and students continuing to take turns staying under the tent and calling for Kurdish to be recognized and taught as an official language.

During today’s activities, students and residents taking part in the sit-in expressed their categorical rejection of limiting Kurdish-language education to three classes per week, stressing that the decision contributes to marginalizing the existence of the Kurdish people. They also emphasized that the sit-in would continue until the rights of the Kurdish language are recognized.

The sit-in tent in Dêrik is part of a series of activities continuing across the Jazira region by students and their families in protest against limiting Kurdish-language education to only three classes per week.

Protest held in Jager Bazaar village

In Jager Bazaar village in the countryside of Amuda, students, their families and members of the village council held a protest against the decision to limit mother-tongue education to three classes per week.

In front of the village school, protesters held an event during which the participants wore Kurdish traditional clothing and held up banners expressing their commitment to their language and their right to educate their children in their mother tongue.

During the event, student Rosin Hussein read a statement in Kurdish, while village council member Diyala Abdi read it in Arabic. The statement rejected limiting Kurdish-language education to three classes per week, stressing that language is not merely a school subject, but represents cultural and national identity and serves as a vessel for history, values and knowledge.

The statement called on the Ministry of Education to reverse its decision to limit Kurdish-language instruction, stressing that Kurdish students have the right to study in their language. It also called for teachers, education professionals, parents and the community to be involved in decisions concerning the future of school curricula.

The statement stressed the need to adopt Kurdish-language education across different educational levels and subjects, including science, mathematics and history, emphasizing that mother-tongue education helps enhance comprehension, critical thinking and academic achievement, while enabling students to learn other languages more effectively.

The participants at the event reaffirmed their commitment to their children’s right to full and unhindered education in their mother tongue, calling on the relevant authorities to reconsider the decision.

The event concluded with the participants chanting slogans: “There is no life without language” and “Our language is our identity.”

ANHA

DÊRIK

AMÛDÊ