Students in Girkê Legê: 3 classes are not enough, we want education in our mother tongue

Reactions rejecting the decision issued by the Ministry of Education in the Syrian transitional government on August 27, which limited the teaching of the Kurdish language in schools to only three classes per week, continue to grow. Calls are being made to review the mechanism for implementing the decision in a way that guarantees students’ right to receive education in their mother tongue.

In this context, ANHA agency spoke with a number of students in the city of Girkê Legê in the al-Jazira region. Student Abdulrahman Tami said: “Three Kurdish language classes are not enough for us because we want to study in our mother tongue and continue our education in it.”

He added: “If the decision remains in this form, we will not be able to continue our studies in the way we want. Therefore, we call for it to be reconsidered. Our demand is for education to continue in the Kurdish language and for it not to be restricted to a specific number of classes.”

For her part, student Roxan Akid said: “We reject reducing Kurdish language instruction to three classes per week because Kurdish is our mother tongue. We want to continue studying it as we used to, and for it to remain a fundamental part of our schools.”

She added: “We also study Arabic, and we have no problem learning Arabic, English, or any other language. But learning other languages does not mean giving up our Kurdish language. We can learn several languages while preserving our mother tongue at the same time.”

She continued: “It is our right to study in our mother tongue and to continue teaching and learning it. Therefore, we want the decision to be reconsidered and for the Kurdish language not to be limited to just three classes.”

Student Zakia Abdullah, for her part, said: “The mother tongue is an essential part of our education. We do not want Kurdish to become limited to a certain number of classes; rather, we want to continue learning it at school.”

She added: “It is our right to continue studying in Kurdish in schools and to have the right to learn in it and continue our education through it. Therefore, the relevant authorities must reconsider the decision.”

Student Roz Abdullah said: “We do not accept our mother tongue being limited in education to three classes per week because we want to continue studying the curriculum in Kurdish as we have been doing for years. We want our language to remain present in the school and to continue studying it, and we do not accept reducing its instruction in this way.”

At the end of her remarks, she called for the decision to be reconsidered, saying: “Three classes are not enough to continue learning the Kurdish language. It is our right to complete our education in our mother tongue.”

ANHA