Educational research academy and qamishlo students: right to education in mother tongue cannot be reduced to three classes

Reactions rejecting the decision by the Ministry of Education in the Syrian transitional government, issued on August 27, which limited the teaching of the Kurdish language to three classes per week, continue.

In this context, the Educational Research Academy in the city of Qamishlo issued a statement today in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) building in the city, in the presence of dozens of students and academy members.

The statement was read by academy member Mahdi Hussein, who noted that, amid the political transformations taking place in Syria and the national debate over the country’s democratic and pluralistic future, the academy is following developments related to Kurdish language rights in Syria, particularly in the fields of education and teaching.

The statement noted that the Kurdish language is not merely a means of communication, but a fundamental pillar of the cultural identity and national existence of the Kurdish people in Syria, and an integral part of the rich cultural and linguistic fabric of Syrian society as a whole.

It added that “the Kurdish people have suffered for decades from policies of marginalisation and denial and have been deprived of their most basic linguistic and cultural rights, which constituted a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights.”

The statement addressed Presidential Decree No. 13, which it said recognised Kurdish citizens as an integral component of the Syrian people, recognised Kurdish as a national language and allowed it to be taught in areas with a high Kurdish population, noting that the practical implementation of the decree revealed a significant gap between the text and reality.

The academy said that the Syrian Ministry of Education’s decision issued on August 27, 2026, which limits the teaching of Kurdish to only three classes per week and classifies it as an optional subject or cultural activity, does not meet the aspirations of the Kurdish people and contradicts the principle of the right to education in the mother tongue guaranteed by international human rights conventions.

The academy called for full constitutional recognition of Kurdish as an official language in Syria alongside Arabic, and for its use to be guaranteed in public spaces and official and educational institutions, in line with the principles of equal citizenship and pluralism.

It also called for Kurdish to be adopted as a primary language of instruction in areas with a high Kurdish population, rather than merely as an optional subject limited to three classes per week, stressing that the right to education in the mother tongue is a fundamental right and cannot be reduced to a few hours that do not enable students to master, think and create in their language.

The demands also included developing curricula and school textbooks in Kurdish in cooperation with Kurdish educational experts and institutions, and ensuring the provision of qualified teaching staff to teach all subjects in Kurdish.

The academy also called for recognition of the rights of male and female teachers who have devoted years of their work to developing education in Kurdish, ensuring their effective participation in any future educational reform, and protecting their expertise and professional gains.

It called for the cancellation of all policies of linguistic discrimination and exclusion in public spaces, and for ensuring respect for the cultural and linguistic diversity of all components of the Syrian people, considering this a fundamental guarantee for civil peace and sustainable stability in Syria.

At the conclusion of the event, a committee from the Educational Research Academy handed a copy of the statement memorandum to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

school students reject limiting Kurdish-language instruction to three classes

In a related context, students from several schools in the Al-Gharbi neighbourhood of Qamishlo held a gathering in front of Abdul Wahab Maqsoud School and issued a statement to the public, which was read by student Talin Rifaat Khalil.

In their statement, the students said: “We reject the Education Ministry’s decision to allocate only three classes to the Kurdish language. The language represents the identity and history of Kurdish society, and for the Kurdish people it is part of their very being. Therefore, allocating three classes in schools will negatively affect students.”

The students asked in their statement: “On what grounds is a decision issued to limit the Kurdish language to three classes?”

At the conclusion of their statement, the students called on the Ministry of Education in the transitional government to reconsider the decision issued, as Kurdish students have the right to learn in their mother tongue because it represents their identity and existence.

Sh-S

ANHA