Kurdish-language education in Rojava produces fluent new generation: Academic

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior official at University of Rojava said Kurdish-language education in northeast Syria (Rojava) has produced a new generation of fluent Kurdish speakers after nearly 15 years of mother-tongue instruction, amid ongoing debates with Damascus over the future of the region’s education system.

“Children in Rojava now speak Kurdish very fluently. There is a major difference between the language of our children and that of our generation,” Zina Ali, co-chair of the University of Rojava, told Rudaw's Nalin Hassan on Sunday. “Today, our children are teaching us the language because they are educated in their mother tongue at school.”

Kurdish-language education was introduced in Rojava after Kurdish authorities established autonomous institutions during the Syrian civil war. Schools under the Autonomous Administration currently teach most subjects in Kurdish, Arabic, and Syriac, depending on the community and region.

The future of the system, however, remains uncertain as negotiations continue between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration following a landmark agreement signed late January between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian interim government to integrate civilian and military institutions.

Ali said Damascus had proposed limiting Kurdish instruction in schools to only two classes per week, a move rejected by the Autonomous Administration’s education authorities.

“Because of this disagreement, there has been discussion about translating the state curricula into Kurdish,” she said, stressing that no final decision has yet been made.

The Kurdish official noted that the Autonomous Administration’s current curriculum is expected to remain in place at least until next year while talks continue.

Ali also emphasized that the University of Rojava intends to preserve its Kurdish identity regardless of any future arrangement with the Syrian government.

“The main characteristic of the University of Rojava is the Kurdish language - meaning its identity is Kurdish,” she said. “We are firm on this because the region is Kurdish, and 99 percent of our 3,000 students are Kurds.”

Founded nearly a decade ago, the university currently includes 11 colleges, three technical institutes, and two higher education institutes, according to Ali.

She added that around 1,800 students have graduated from the university in eight graduating classes, with many finding jobs in institutions run by the Autonomous Administration as well as in the private sector.

Ali also said some graduates who moved to Europe were able to continue their studies there after obtaining academic equivalency recognition for their degrees.