Harem Ali Hassan, 22, is from the town of Rania in the Kurdistan Region. He got his Bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Sulaimani and is now studying for a Master’s degree in environmental engineering at Beihang University.
He teaches Kurdish language in Peking University in Beijing.
A number of students at Peking University reportedly expressed an interest to the presidency of the school in learning the Kurdish language. Hassan heard about the opening for a Kurdish teacher through a friend of his from eastern Kurdistan, in Iran.
Hassan visited the university and talked to the head of the Arabic department, Dr. Lin. The department’s assistant helps him to arranging Kurdish classes for students who were interested in the language.
Hassan had studied Kurdish language in primary and high school. He got helping in putting together resources and classes from some friends who had experience in teaching the language.
“I was teaching four men and three women. Four of them had obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic language at Peking University and spoke good Arabic,” Hassan said. The other three spoke a little Arabic.
He started his job as a Kurdish language teacher on September 21, 2016, using his first class to introduce his students to the Kurdistan Region, Kurdish food. He also showed them Kurdish towns and villages.
Hassan gave his students Kurdish and Arabic names. “I named them: Dana, Kamaran, Miran, Fatima, Banu, Khorze and Harez.”
Two classes were devoted to learning the Kurdish alphabets. The students with Bachelor’s degrees in Arabic language helped out their classmates.
“They were very serious leaners, studying well. They were asking very strange questions about Kurdish grammar,” Hassan said.
In addition to teaching them Kurdish language, Hassan also introduced them to Kurdish music. “We were listening to Kurdish music daily. They were reciting the songs.”
“I was starting my classes with very attractive things. I once showed them a Rudaw video about traditional Kurdish weddings. They were very impressed.”
On December 29, 2016, the students took their final examination in Kurdish. “The sixth question was composition. They were supposed to write about their lives,” Hassan explained.
“One of the students was called Li Shang. I was calling him Dana. He was really wise. He had written a very good composition about China in Kurdish. I gave him full marks for this question. He got 99 out of 100 in Kurdish,” Hassan said. “The lowest mark in Kurdish among these seven students was 86.”
“They are going to open a Kurdish department in this university next year if interest in Kurdish language grows,” he said.
