SÎLVA ÎBRAHÎM

Manbij- The most important thing for the Democratic Nation Project is education. For this reason, education is given priority in the region. Amara Berkel, a member of the Democratic Society Academy in Manbij, draws attention to how education is important to build a democratic nation.

“A society ignoring the importance of education will collapse. ‘Education is like water, bread and food,’ leader Abdullah Öcalan says. Education has a great importance in our life and it provides gender equality by raising the awareness of the public. It also raises public awareness to building an organized, ethical, democratic, ecological society,” Amara Berkel told us.

“Education paves the way to freedom”

Amara Berkel emphasized the importance of a fair education for societies and said, “Our society is still under the influence of wrong education. It teaches people to accept one religion, one language and one culture. A wrong education system that doesn’t accept differences is implemented. Personal education and social education have a connection with each other. The more the society is educated, the more education paves the way to freedom and development. Therefore, education has a great role in societies. New generations grow up on these principles.”

“A democratic nation is based on education”

Amara Berkel pointed out that the Democratic Nation Project uses the principles that govern societies correctly and continued as follows: “The Democratic Nation Project is a successful project because it is based on education. The more people educate themselves, the further they can take their society. Many people of different cultures live in Syria. The way to preserve this diversity and cultural heritage is through education built on the perspective of a democratic nation. On the contrary, what the states do is to put the society into a certain shape by providing a standard education system.”

“It protects different cultures”

Speaking about the education system in NE Syria, Amara Berkel said, “This system leads peoples having different cultures to unite. The Democratic Nation Project ensures that the peoples having different cultures respect each other and that the people in our society are aware of their freedom and independence. During the rule of the Baathist regime, the Kurds faced arbitrary policies. They tried to annihilate the Kurdish culture but the Kurds protected themselves through education.”

“Women should receive education”

Amara Berkel emphasized that women are subjected to violence every day; therefore education is more important for women. “Throughout history, women have participated in many wars, been subjected to many injustices and violence. They can only overcome challenges through education. Education is essential for societies. As academics, we try to raise awareness in order to improve our society. In order for women to protect them from all wars and genocides and to be more organized, gender equality should be ensured. And to ensure gender equality, women should receive education.”