Students, their families in Alyan: we remain committed to our right to learn in our mother tongue

Kurdish students and their families in al-Jazira region continue to express their rejection of the decision by the Ministry of Education in the Syrian transitional government to limit the teaching of the Kurdish language in schools to only three classes per week.

In this context, ANHA's agency met with a number of students and their families in the village of Diruna Aghi, in the Alyan area of the northern countryside of Jal Agha.

The Kurdish language is part of identity and existence

Grouba Hassan, the mother of one of the students, stressed that their children have studied in their mother tongue from the beginning of their educational journey until today. She emphasized that limiting education in Kurdish to three classes per week does not reflect the importance of the language to Kurdish society, as it is deeply connected to the history, culture, and heritage of the Kurdish people.

She said that learning in the mother tongue and developing it is the fundamental means of preserving identity and passing it from one generation to another.

Grouba noted that the former Ba'ath regime marginalized the rights of Kurds to learn in their mother tongue and subjected them to killing, imprisonment, and displacement. She added that despite its policies of assimilation and marginalization, they preserved their language by speaking it in their homes and learning it secretly.

She said: “Today, after the immense sacrifices we have made, we will not accept our language being marginalized once again. Therefore, we categorically reject the decisions of the Ministry of Education in the transitional government and affirm our right and the right of our children to have their education in their mother tongue guaranteed and to have this right constitutionally recognized.”

For her part, resident Sharifa Hassan said that their children are learning in their mother tongue, explaining that it is the language that expresses their national identity and is their natural right, just as it is for other peoples who use their language to preserve their existence from disappearing. Therefore, she said, it is important that their children continue to learn and develop it.

She added: “The Ministry of Education’s decision to limit the teaching of the Kurdish language is unacceptable, and it must reverse it. Our children need to learn in their mother tongue more extensively so that they can read, write, and express themselves correctly, thereby preserving their connection to their language, culture, and land for themselves and future generations.”

Students insist on continuing education in their mother tongue

For their part, Kurdish students expressed their determination to uphold their right to learn in Kurdish, their mother tongue.

Nivin Mesho, a middle school student, affirmed that she has been studying in her mother tongue, Kurdish, since the beginning of her education. She said: “It is the natural right of every people to learn in their mother tongue. Therefore, what the Ministry of Education is trying to impose on us, continuing our education in another language in which we cannot express ourselves is completely unacceptable. As students, it is impossible for us to accept this decision, and the Ministry of Education must repeal it.”

Nivin stressed that the role of schools is not limited to providing educational subjects, but also includes preserving the languages and cultures of Syrian society. She added that imposing a particular language and reducing the hours allocated to the mother tongue amounts to marginalizing the role of the Kurdish people in the new Syria, which is unacceptable.

She concluded by stressing that they do not oppose learning other languages, such as Arabic, English, and French, in order to broaden their knowledge, but they insist that the educational curriculum be delivered in their mother tongue.

As for student Shilan Omar, she said: “The Kurdish language represents a part of our daily lives. Reducing the hours devoted to teaching it limits our ability to develop our skills in it. Therefore, we demand that the language be present in the educational process in a manner that reflects its importance to us.”

Shilan concluded by saying: “We use our language in our daily lives, and it is unacceptable to learn it within a limited number of hours. No one has the right to impose anything on us. We will not accept this. We have given thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives so that we could continue learning in Kurdish within a homeland based on justice and equality, and we will remain committed to their legacy, demanding our linguistic rights.”

ANHA