Students in al-Darbasiyah protest reduction of Kurdish-language instruction

Students at al-Tarfa School in the city of al-Darbasiyah protested today against the decision to reduce Kurdish-language instruction to three classes per week, affirming in a statement their commitment to their mother tongue and their rejection of the decision.

The protest is part of a series of activities and statements condemning the decision that have been taking place since late August at a number of schools, in opposition to the reduction in Kurdish-language classes.

The participating students held banners reading: “Our language is our dignity”, “We want our language”, and “Our Kurdish language is our constitutional right”.

Student Shirin Dawoud read out the statement, which stressed that the Kurdish language is a fundamental pillar of the identity of the Kurdish people, citing Kurdish intellectual Jaladet Ali Bedirkhan: “Language is the first condition for the existence of a nation.”

The statement noted that every Kurd who does not learn their language or write in it contributes to weakening the foundations of their identity, stressing that preserving the language and teaching it to future generations is a collective responsibility.

The students concluded their statement by stressing the need to continue teaching the Kurdish language and not reduce its classes, calling for the right of students to learn their language to be protected and for its presence in the educational process to be strengthened.

Sh-S

ANHA