Rûken Dêrik/JINHA

RIMÊLAN – The revolution against monotype education system in Rojava, children from different peoples have education in their native language. Assyrian (Syriac) children, who started their education in the Tişrin School of Rimêlan city, are very happy to have education in their native language.

With the establishment of nation-state, the concept of ‘one language’, ‘one nation’, ‘one flag’ and ‘one state’ has been imposed on the people. While the concept of the nation-state has destroyed many cultural values in the 21st century, the policy of destruction, denial and assimilation has been imposed on 40 million Kurdish people for years. As the Kurdish people have resisted against the policy of assimilation despite heavy price, with the developing revolution in Rojava, the values of not only the Kurdish people but also all peoples have been protected. Assyrian people, who live in Rojava for years, is one of the peoples, who are subjected to nation-state’s policy of assimilation. With the revolution, all peoples have education in their native language in Rojava now.

Assyrian children in Cizîr Canton will have education in their native language until third grade in elementary school. As the Assyrian children started to get education in Tişrin School of Rimêlan city, one of the school’s teachers Niliyê İshaq stated that Assyrian children would have education in their native language first time. Niliyê said, “Assyrian children are very happy to have education in their native language. There was education in one language during the Ba’ath regime and it was Arabic. Children from different people had to have education in Arabic.”

One of the students in the school Mîlad Gewriye expressed she was very happy to have education in her native language and continued: “Now, I am very happy. Different peoples will have education in their native language with the Rojava Revolution. Having education in a different language from your native language causes the depression. You are forced to study in a language you don’t understand and children fail in class. I am an Assyrian person and I love my language, I want to grow with my own language and read and speak in my language.”

(pk/mg/gd)