Nagham Jajan

Qamishlo – The Kurdish language insitiution(SZK), since its establishment in 2007, has been working eo revive, protect, and develop the Kurdish language, based on the fact that the mother tongue is the foundation of identity and cultural memory of any people, in addition to spreading among new generations and strengthening its position in society.

Today, the Kurdish language is an authentic pillar of The Kurdish people’s identity and an inviolable right. It is the vessel that preserves their history and culture, and the bridge connecting generations to their deep roots. In this context, Dalal Al-Hashimi, a member of the Kurdish language Institution(SZK), explained that the institution, which was established before the Rojava revolution, worked in complete secerecy under the Ba’ath regime, which banned the Kurdish language and imposed a policy based on the slogan “one flag, one nation, one language, and one religion.”

She added that teaching the Kurdish language during that period was the fruit of dtermination and individual efforts by teachers who risked everything to preserve their language, pointing out that "after the launch of the July 19 revolution, Kurdish language teachers began their work in an organized manner under the name of the Kurdish Language Institution (SZK)."

She continued: "At that time, the teachers of the Ba'ath regime did not want to teach the Kurdish language in schools, but we nevertheless started giving lessons in Kurdish. Over time, the teaching process spread in the neighborhoods of Qamishli, moving from one neighborhood to another and from one house to another, turning the Kurdish language into a right practiced daily, not just a slogan."

She pointed out that with the start of education in Kurdish, educational institutes were opened in 2015, where students received two years of education. The establishment of Rojava University also contributed to providing opportunities for teachers to pursue their academic studies.

"Efforts to integrate Kurdish education into the educational system"

Dalal Al‑Hashimi affirmed that there are ongoing efforts to ensure official recognition of the Kurdish language in the new Syrian constitution, saying: "After the fall of the Ba'ath regime and the beginning of the transitional government phase in Syria, a new phase of the integration process began. There are ongoing efforts to integrate Kurdish language education into the official system, and daily activities are held for students and teachers in this context."

She concluded her speech by congratulating the Kurdish people on the occasion of Kurdish Language Day, affirming that recognition of the Kurdish language in the Syrian constitution is a fundamental necessity to guarantee the rights of the Kurdish component and protect its cultural identity.