Students, mothers in Kobani reject reduction of Kurdish language classes

Students and mothers in the city of Kobani continue to voice their rejection of the Syrian Ministry of Education’s decision to reduce Kurdish language classes to three per week, calling for the right to full education in their mother tongue to be guaranteed and for this right to be enshrined in the Syrian Constitution.

Keljin Hesso, a mother of three, said that educating children in their mother tongue is a legitimate right and should not be obstructed in any way. She noted that through the Kurdish language, her children preserve their language, culture, history, and identity.

She added that she would not send her children to school unless the decision is changed and full education in Kurdish is guaranteed. She also called on relevant institutions and human rights organizations to protect education in the Kurdish language and remove the obstacles facing the future of children’s education.

For her part, student Lilav Baqi said that she can only read in Kurdish, noting that her mother, father, siblings, and grandparents are Kurdish, not Arab. She added: “No one has studied in our language until now so that we should study in their language. If our education and our schools in the Kurdish language are not accepted, we will not go to school.”

She affirmed her adherence to the Kurdish language, describing it as the language of her mother, father, and grandparents, and said: “We will read and learn in our language.”

Meanwhile, student Vian Jamo, who has been studying in Kurdish since the beginning of her education, explained that everyone has the right to learn in their own language, stressing that students are demanding their right to education in their mother tongue.

She considered learning in Kurdish to be “a human right and the foundation of our national existence.”

ANHA