Abdi Says Kurdish-Language Education Is a Fundamental Right
Syrian presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi says efforts to secure official recognition for Kurdish in Syria’s education system are continuing, while urging families to enroll their children in Kurdish-language schools.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Syrian presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi said on Tuesday, that protecting and developing the Kurdish language remains a fundamental goal of the Kurdish people’s struggle, stressing that education in one’s mother tongue is a natural and basic right.
In a recorded message marking the start of the new academic year, Abdi said the Rojava Revolution had witnessed 14 years of major efforts to establish a Kurdish-language education system despite the circumstances of war.
He saluted the families who sent their children to Kurdish schools, as well as the teachers and educational staff who contributed to what he described as a historic achievement.
Abdi said efforts have continued for one year and eight months since the fall of the Baath regime to secure recognition of Kurdish as an official language in Syria’s education system.
He said the discussions resulted in a decision by the Ministry of Education and Teaching, but that the decision was considered insufficient by the public and students, who protested against it.
Abdi said he supports the students and the public in their demands and rights.
He urged families to send their children to schools where Kurdish is the primary language of instruction, saying this would help ensure the success of the transitional period and the current academic year.
He also said measures had been taken to ensure that children could continue their education in Kurdish while learning Arabic without facing difficulties.
Abdi announced that the curricula for ninth-grade and third-secondary students would follow the Autonomous Administration’s curricula.
He called on all students to continue their education under the Kurdish educational system to safeguard their future.
He also urged students who have obtained secondary-school certificates from Kurdish-language schools to apply through the Ministry of Higher Education’s admission process to secure university places according to its criteria.
Abdi also addressed the status of Rojava University and Kobani University, saying that meetings and discussions were continuing to reach an appropriate official decision that would serve students at both universities.