Protests in Tel Tamr, Darbasiyah reject limits on Kurdish education

The cities of Tel Tamr and Darbasiyah and their surrounding areas witnessed protests against the Syrian Ministry of Education’s decision to limit Kurdish-language instruction to three classes per week, with protesters calling for the right to education in one’s mother tongue and expanded Kurdish-language instruction in educational institutions.

In the northern countryside of Tel Tamr, teachers and students at Al-Mansaf School issued a statement, read by teacher Kalmadan Nayef, emphasizing that the Kurdish language is an integral part of the community’s identity, culture and heritage, and that preserving and developing it is a cultural and educational right.

The statement stressed the need to guarantee the Kurdish community’s right to education in its mother tongue and to incorporate Kurdish into educational institutions based on academic and educational standards, while providing the necessary curricula, textbooks and educational materials. It also called for protecting Kurdish literature and heritage and encouraging academic research in the fields of language and culture.

In the town of Qubur al-Qarajneh in the Tel Tamr countryside, Kongra Star issued a statement outside its headquarters, with the participation of members of the organization and women from the town. The statement was read by Kongra Star administrator Ibtisam al-Shaheen.

The statement emphasized the importance of the Kurdish language in preserving identity, culture and heritage, and the need to guarantee the Kurdish community’s right to learn and teach its language in educational institutions.

It also called for providing curricula and educational materials in Kurdish, protecting heritage, literature and culture, respecting linguistic and cultural diversity, and guaranteeing equal linguistic rights.

It said recognizing these rights would contribute to building a society based on pluralism and equality.

In Darbasiyah, students at Martyr Roza Joudi School expressed their opposition to reducing Kurdish-language classes and issued a statement read by student Layla Ismail.

The statement affirmed the students’ commitment to their right to learn in their mother tongue and their rejection of any measures that restrict its teaching.

The students called for preserving the Kurdish language and strengthening its presence in the educational process rather than reducing the number of classes. They also demanded expanding Kurdish-language instruction and ensuring its continuation at all stages of education.

The protesters’ demands center on recognizing Kurdish as an official language in the Syrian Constitution, teaching school subjects in Kurdish in Kurdish-majority areas, and guaranteeing its use in government institutions and official correspondence.

The protests come amid ongoing educational and community mobilization against the decision to reduce Kurdish-language classes, with calls to review the decision and guarantee the linguistic and cultural rights of members of the Kurdish community.

The Syrian Ministry of Education has not yet issued any further clarification regarding the background of the decision or the possibility of reviewing it.

A-H 

ANHA 

Tel Tamr

Darbasiyah