JINHA

COLEMERG – The Kurdish primary school raided by Turkish police recently in the town of Yüksekova will start the school year on October 5 in spite of the attacks.

The Dayika Uveyş Elementary School was opened in the largely Kurdish town of Yüksekova, in Turkey’s Hakkari province, to educate Kurdish children in their native language. Turkey forbids education in Kurdish and many other languages in public schools. As a result, Kurds have opened independent schools, such as Dayika Uveyş. This week, many Kurdish and other families are boycotting the first week of public school in Turkey to protest for the right to education in their native language.

Recently, Turkish police raided Dayika Uveyş Elementary School. The police broke the school’s windows and destroyed signs and school supplies. A group of students, teachers and supporters, including the province’s Parliamentary representative Abdullah Zeytan of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), gathered outside of the school. They condemned the attack on the school and announced that the school year would begin on October 5.

“The basic goal of this total attack on the Kurdish people’s language, culture and values is to commit a physical genocide,” said teacher Zeytun Akdeniz, speaking at the gathering. “Against this policy, we call on everyone to boycott the system and to stand up more vigorously for our free schools.”

The crowd chanted “long live the Kurdish language” at the gathering.

(gc/cm)