Kurdish academics hope to establish university in Germany

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish academics and scholars hope to establish a Kurdish university in the German city of Dresden.

“We have received the green light from them [Saxon Ministry of Education] in writing, but there are some important factors such as the financial one that need to be met,” Kurdish scholar Younis Bahram told Rudaw at a conference on Saturday about the university.

Bahram is spearheading the initiative that could reshape Kurdish higher education in Europe.

“We need at least 2 million euros in our budget before we can finalize the process,” he said, adding that they are working on raising the funds.

A Kurdish university in Dresden will be able to preserve 100 years of scholarship, said Dr. Dawood Yashilman, a Kurdish academic from Germany.

“There are many personal archives here in Germany that no one can access. If there was a university here in Germany I hope it would preserve and collect all the archives and thoughts,” he said.

The institution could also introduce Kurds in Kurdistan to Germany’s education system and “will then act as a bridge between Kurdish and German people,” he added.

The university hopes to open its doors by the end of 2026.

Germany is home to a large Kurdish diaspora.

 

Zinar Shino contributed to this report.