SZK: from operating in secret to developing educational curricula, graduating nearly 80,000 people

The Kurdish Language Institution (SZK) was established in 2007 with the aim of protecting and developing the Kurdish language during a period when the Ba'ath Party government imposed strict restrictions on its use, prohibiting speaking, writing, teaching, and using Kurdish in public institutions.

The institution was founded through an initiative by Kurdish teachers and young activists who sought to create a framework that would protect and preserve the Kurdish language from policies of exclusion and erasure, amid growing concerns about its future and the restrictions imposed by the authorities on its use.

Working in secret to protect the Kurdish Language

From its establishment in 2007 until 2011, the Kurdish Language Institution operated clandestinely out of fear of arrests or forced closure. Its primary objective was to teach the Kurdish language to the Kurdish community despite the security and political conditions that prohibited any language-related activities.

Despite these challenges, the institution continued its work and eventually became one of the principal references for Kurdish language education and development in Rojava.

Expansion of centers and establishment of a research center

In this regard, the Co-Chair of the Kurdish Language Institution, Viyan Hassan, said: "Since 2019, we have established a specialized research center in the city of Qamishlo. We also have Kurdish Language Institution centers in all cities across Rojava, in addition to Damascus, where the institution continues to operate secretly, as well as in Aleppo. Before the recent events, we also had centers in Raqqa and al-Tabqa."

Protecting and developing the Kurdish Language

Viyan Hassan added: "The Kurdish language has endured decades of attempts at marginalization and erasure, making it essential to establish a specialized institution dedicated to protecting and developing it."

She continued: "In Rojava Kurdistan, Kurds spoke Kurdish in their daily lives, and even children used it in neighborhoods and streets as their mother tongue. However, they were deprived of learning to read and write in Kurdish. Through the Kurdish Language Institution, we have enabled thousands of students, teachers, and members of society to learn reading and writing in their mother tongue."

The Kurdish Language Institution: A second home for the Kurdish community

Viyan Hassan explained: "The Kurdish community in Rojava has regarded the Kurdish Language Institution as its second home and has contributed to preserving and supporting it because it provided the community with the opportunity to learn its mother tongue, which had been prohibited in official institutions, schools, and public spaces. Since its establishment, it has remained the cornerstone of Kurdish language development in Rojava."

The Institution's role in education and media

Viyan Hassan noted that beginning in 2014, students in schools were taught by teachers who had graduated from the Kurdish Language Institution.

Over the years, the institution's efforts have also contributed to the emergence of dozens of media organizations that speak and publish in Kurdish, in addition to numerous training institutions.

She emphasized that establishing the Kurdish Language Institution was also necessary to serve as the linguistic reference for institutions operating in Rojava regarding matters related to the Kurdish language.

Programs and specialized committees

Since 2019, the Kurdish Language Institution has operated according to structured plans and programs. It consists of three main committees: the Kurdish Language and Knowledge Committee, the Heritage Committees, and the Social Communication Committee. These committees are responsible for implementing the institution's plans and activities.

Viyan Hassan stated: "Research conducted within the institution, whether related to Kurdish heritage or the Kurdish language, is published and shared with the community through online communication platforms, alongside specialized training programs."

She also pointed out that the institution works to revive Kurdish words that have disappeared from the linguistic lexicon through programs broadcast in Kurdish villages. These programs rely on asking local residents about old words and expressions with the aim of restoring them and reintroducing them into everyday usage.

Programs for Children

Viyan Hassan added: "The institution also implements a program for children between the ages of three and five to teach them Kurdish from an early age and establish it as their primary language without resorting to other languages."

Nearly 80,000 beneficiaries of the institution's courses

Viyan Hassan said: "The number of people who have received certificates from the Kurdish Language Institution and learned the language has reached nearly 80,000, distributed across three levels. The first level graduated 30,148 trainees, the second level graduated 25,842 trainees, while the third level graduated 20,048 trainees."

She emphasized that these figures do not include students studying in Kurdish-language schools administered by the Autonomous Administration.

Developing curricula from first grade to university

Since the establishment of the Autonomous Administration, the Kurdish Language Institution has not limited its work to organizing ongoing summer and winter courses in Kurdish language education across all three levels in every city. These classes are scheduled according to hours determined by instructors after completing their regular morning work.

Viyan Hassan continued: "The institution has also worked on preparing and writing educational curricula in Kurdish, beginning with first grade and extending to the university level."

Research centers and scholarly production

Viyan Hassan noted that the institution has also established research centers despite the considerable challenges involved. It has produced numerous studies and research projects related to Kurdish heritage, history, and language.

Ongoing Challenges and the Pursuit of Official Recognition

Viyan Hassan explained that one of the greatest challenges facing the Kurdish Language Institution is the refusal of the Syrian Interim Government to recognize Kurdish as an official language in Syria.

She stressed that the institution continues to work intensively to secure official recognition of Kurdish and to ensure that it is enshrined as an official language in the Syrian Constitution rather than merely being a commonly spoken language.

The institution also faces a shortage of academic specialists in the Kurdish language. Although qualified experts are available, the need remains substantial due to the necessity of training more specialists and producing dozens of dictionaries and linguistic indexes, efforts that are currently constrained by the lack of academic personnel.

Viyan Hassan concluded by affirming that the institution continues working on multiple fronts to prepare qualified academic cadres capable of developing the Kurdish language and strengthening its practical and cultural presence, thereby contributing to building a more secure and enduring future for the Kurdish language.

ANHA