Qamishlo students protest reduction in Kurdish lessons

Students from the Jer Qamishlo School held a protest in Qamishlo today against the transitional government’s Ministry of Education decision to limit Kurdish-language teaching to three lessons per week.

The demonstration began at Martyr Osman Sabri Roundabout and ended outside the city’s Educational Complex, with students chanting slogans rejecting the reduction of Kurdish-language lessons to just three per week.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Students in Syria issued a statement outside the Cultural Centre in Qamishlo, read by student Şevîn Xelef. The statement addressed several issues concerning linguistic and educational rights and national identity, setting out the union’s position on decisions affecting the Kurdish language and the attack on students during a demonstration in Hasakah.

In a relevant context, the National Students Union in Syria issued a statement in front of the Cultural Centre in Qamishlo, read by student Shevin Khalaf. The statement addressed several issues related to linguistic and educational rights and national identity, outlining the union’s position on decisions affecting the Kurdish language and the attack on students during a demonstration in Hasakah.

The statement condemned the attack on Kurdish students during a peaceful demonstration in Hasakah yesterday, where they were calling for the protection of their right to their mother tongue and official recognition of the Kurdish language. It stressed that demanding legitimate rights is not a crime and that pressure, threats and the use of force cannot silence students' voices.

The statement affirmed that students want to study, write and receive their education in their mother tongue. It emphasized that language is not merely a means of communication, but also represents a people’s identity, culture, history and existence. It called for Kurdish to be recognized as an official language in the Syrian Constitution alongside Arabic, and for the right to education in one’s mother tongue to be guaranteed permanently and by law.

The statement also noted that Kurdish areas have distinct historical, cultural, social and linguistic characteristics, calling for these to be protected and recognized in education, local administration, place names and public institutions. It stressed that recognizing these specificities does not conflict with the rights of any other people, but rather represents a step towards equality, justice and peaceful coexistence.

Regarding school names, the statement rejected any changes, particularly to those named after martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Kurdish language, their people’s identity and freedom, and their legitimate rights. It called for these names to be preserved as part of the people’s history, memory and identity, and for the martyrs’ names to be respected.

The students also rejected the decision to limit Kurdish-language teaching to three lessons per week, saying it would affect students’ academic performance, their right to education and the future of the education process. They described the decision as a form of assimilation targeting the Kurdish people in Syria, stressing that they would not accept any reduction in their educational rights or allow education to become a victim of unjust decisions.

The statement addressed direct demands to the Minister of Education and the Education Directorate, including the cancellation of the decision limiting Kurdish-language lessons to three hours per week, recognition of the rights of the Kurdish language, and a fair investigation into the attack on students in Hasakah.

The students also rejected the decision to limit Kurdish-language teaching to three lessons per week, saying it would affect their academic performance, their right to education and the future of the education process. They described the decision as a form of assimilation of the Kurdish people in Syria, stressing that they would not accept any reduction in their educational rights or allow education to become a victim of unjust decisions.

The statement made direct demands to the Minister of Education and the Education Directorate, including the cancellation of the decision limiting Kurdish-language lessons to three classes per week, recognition of the rights of the Kurdish language, and a fair investigation into the attack on Hasakah students.

Regarding public rights, the statement called for equal citizenship rights to be guaranteed for all peoples and components in Syria, including Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmen and other groups. It also called for everyone’s freedom to practice their languages and cultures and preserve their identities and beliefs, within a state that guarantees freedom of expression and assembly, self-administration, equality and justice, without discrimination based on language, identity or culture.

The statement stressed that unity among peoples living together cannot be achieved by erasing their differences, but rather through recognizing one another’s rights, respecting the identities of all communities, and ensuring equality and justice. It said that genuine unity is based on respecting diversity, not erasing it.

The National Students Union in Syria called on students to stand together in defence of their rights and take organized and coordinated action to voice their demands through peaceful and democratic means. It urged them not to remain silent in the face of any violation of their rights, stressing that their unity, education and peace form the foundation of their future.

The statement concluded by reaffirming the students’ commitment to their right to study in Kurdish and to protecting the names of martyrs. They chanted slogans including: “The Kurdish language is our right”, “Education in our mother tongue is our right”, “Protecting the names of our martyrs is our duty”, and “Long live the Kurdish language”.

ANHA