RONÎDA HACÎ

Hasakah- Kongra Star decided to open academies to develop its educational activities at its 9th Congress. In North and East Syria, there are currently 17 academies affiliated with the Women’s Education Council of North and East Syria; seven of them carry out their activities within the Education Committee of the Kongra Star.

The Martyr Zeyneb Saroxan Academy was opened on May 15, 2023 to carry out educational activities for women. Until now, the academy has organized three education sessions; one on the sociology of freedom, second on gender and third on women's history.

‘We aim to build a society based on equality’

Zeyneb Saroxan, co-chair of the Justice Department of the Jazeera Region Autonomous Administration, was killed by a Turkish drone on September 25, 2022. The Martyr Zeyneb Saroxan Academy was opened in the memory of Zeyneb Saroxan. In an interview with NuJINHA, Koçer Hisên, head of the Education Committee of the Kongra Star, talked about the activities of the Martyr Zeyneb Saroxan Academy. “Zeyneb Saroxan was a woman who made great efforts to ensure gender equality. She always demanded freedom for humanity and believed that women should be aware of their rights. The aim of Zeyneb Saroxan and her comrades was to build a society based on gender equality for women to enjoy their freedom. The academies in North and East Syria organize awareness-raising education sessions to realize the dream of our martyrs and spread the ideology of freedom in society. We aim to build a society based on gender equality.”

‘Chancing the patriarchal mentality is the duty of all women’

Speaking about three education sessions named “Zeyneb Soraxan Education Session”, “Yousra Darwish Education Session” and “Leyla Şaylemez Education Session” of the academy Koçer Hisên said, “The aim of these sessions is to spread an ideology based on justice and gender equality. The academy has an archive and communication department. At our 9th congress, we decided to open this academy. One of the issues suffered by our society is the patriarchal mentality. Chancing this mentality is the duty of all women. Women must change this mentality to protect their society. We plan to open an education session for men, too.”

‘Education saves lives’

Koçer Hisên also talked about the revolution in North and East Syria, also known as women’s revolution. “Important steps were taken in North and East Syria thanks to the ideology and thoughts of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. Today, we see that the ideology that defends women’s freedom sheds light on the whole world with the philosophy and slogan of ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’. Education is important for women to ensure freedom. Education is like bread and water for humanity. Education saves lives.”

‘Our unity is a response to the attacks’

Emphasizing that women are targeted everywhere in the world, especially in North and East Syria, she said, “Comrade Zeyneb and other pioneering women were targeted by the Turkish state. The unity of women is a response to the attacks. Everyone should defend women’s freedom, educate themselves to have a society based on equality.”