Women stress need to guarantee right to education in Kurdish

In rejection of the Syrian Ministry of Education’s decision to reduce Kurdish-language education to three classes per week in schools, women in Derbasiyah stressed the need to guarantee the Kurdish people’s right to education in their mother tongue, preserve the language and pass it on to future generations.

Zubayda Hussein, an administrator at the Women’s Council of the Democratic Islam Congress, said that speaking, learning and working in Kurdish is a fundamental right of the Kurdish people, as the language is a cornerstone of their identity and existence. She added that it is also a means of preserving their heritage and culture and strengthening ties within society.

She highlighted the mother’s role in teaching children their first language, stressing the importance of preserving Kurdish, passing it on to future generations and ensuring that children have the right to learn in their mother tongue at school.

Commenting on the decision to reduce Kurdish-language education to three classes per week, Hussein said this was insufficient. She explained that, since the launch of the Rojava Revolution, students had been receiving all their school subjects in their mother tongue, strengthening their connection to the language.

She noted that switching to another language of instruction creates difficulties for students, particularly children who began their education in Kurdish. She stressed that insisting on education in one’s mother tongue does not mean rejecting the learning of other languages.

Meanwhile, Sitera Aeow, an administrator at the Union of Intellectuals in Derbasiyah, stressed the need to guarantee the Kurds’ right to education in their mother tongue in schools.

She explained that the Kurdish people are going through a sensitive period after 15 years of resistance and struggle to protect and preserve their language. She considered safeguarding the language and ensuring education in Kurdish an integral part of their rights.

She criticized the decision to reduce Kurdish-language classes to three per week, describing this number as insufficient and unacceptable. She stressed that the demand is for Kurdish to be adopted as the primary language of instruction in schools.

She pointed out that the decision has a significant impact on students, who remain attached to their language and culture and refuse to give up their right to study in Kurdish.

For her part, Mardiya Khalil, a member of the Martyrs’ Families Council in Derbasiyah, affirmed that the Kurdish language is fundamental to the Kurdish people’s identity and existence, stressing that preserving it and guaranteeing the right to education in Kurdish are non-negotiable necessities.

She emphasized the need to respect the Kurdish people’s identity and their right to use their mother tongue. She explained that their demands are not limited to allocating two or three classes per week, but center on guaranteeing their full right to education in Kurdish. She added that attempts to erase Kurdish identity would not deter them from continuing their struggle to achieve this goal.

Khalil also highlighted mothers’ role in preserving the Kurdish language within the family. Despite attempts to erase it, mothers have continued teaching Kurdish to their children and passing it down from one generation to the next.

She addressed a message to students, urging them to continue learning and preserving their language despite the circumstances and challenges they face. She stressed that education in one’s mother tongue strengthens a person’s connection to their identity and culture.

The women emphasized that supporting students in their demands and guaranteeing children’s right to education in Kurdish are essential to protecting the language and ensuring its continuity among future generations. They stressed that Kurdish carries the heritage and culture of the Kurdish people and is far more than merely a means of communication.

A-H 

ANHA