Residents and Students: Education in mother tongue is right for students

A number of residents and students in the city of Girkê Legê, in al-Jazira region, expressed their rejection of the decision by the Ministry of Education in the Syrian transitional government to limit the teaching of the Kurdish language to three classes per week. They stressed that changing the language of the curriculum after many years of studying in Kurdish would affect students' educational progress and their academic future.

Mother Jihan Mustafa said that residents and students reject the decision to reduce the number of Kurdish-language classes, noting that implementing the decision would have significant effects on children, especially since most of them have been studying in Kurdish for many years.

She added: "We are not against the Arabic language, and we understand the importance of learning it, but it is difficult for our children to switch to studying in Arabic after having studied in Kurdish for years. We want there to be classes for learning Arabic, but at the same time, the curriculum must remain in Kurdish, in order to protect the future of our children and the next generation."

For her part, Mother Shirin Khalaf said that residents are calling on government and relevant authorities to intervene and reconsider the decision, stressing that the future of children must be a priority.

She explained that students have spent many years studying in Kurdish, making a sudden change in the language of education difficult for them. She said: "We are worried about the future of our children, and we are not against any language, but we do not want changing the language of education to be a reason for disrupting their studies or affecting their future."

Shirin Khalaf pointed to the presence of universities and educational institutions in the region, calling for students' right to continue their education in their mother tongue to be preserved. She added: "There are students who have studied in Kurdish for years, and their particular circumstances and their right to learn in their mother tongue must be respected."

Shirin called for the Kurdish language to be officially recognized in the Syrian Constitution and for Kurdish rights in the field of education to be guaranteed, taking into account the specific circumstances of Kurdish areas and the right of their people to study in their mother tongue.

For his part, 15-year-old student Rawan Omar said that he rejects the reduction in the number of Kurdish-language classes, stressing that education in the mother tongue is a right for students.

Rawan explained that he has been studying the Kurdish language for nine years and that continuing his education in Kurdish is of great importance to him and other students. He said: "I want to study and learn in my Kurdish language, and this is my right. We have studied in Kurdish for years, and it is our right for our demands to be heard and for us to write and study in our own language.

ANHA