Neslihan Kardaş

 

WAN - Women speaking about education in their mother tongue stated that education in one's mother tongue is one of the most fundamental rights, saying, “Education in our mother tongue is our right. Our children need to learn our language. Just as Turks have rights, we should be granted the same rights.” 

 

Denial, annihilation, and assimilation policies against the Kurdish people have continued for years. While attacks on the Kurdish people's language and culture continue, the people cannot access education in their mother tongue, and Kurdish is blocked or banned for various reasons. As the 2025-2026 academic year begins in Turkey, education in the mother tongue emerges as a fundamental problem. 

 

The failure to recognize the right to education in one's mother tongue can also cause many pedagogical problems for children. Kurdish children who cannot receive education in their mother tongue face many difficulties at school, and having to learn Turkish can also cause them to experience language confusion. Not receiving education in their mother tongue can lead to a loss of self-confidence in children and can also cause them to become disengaged from school.

 

Children starting school at the age of 6-7 and learning a “foreign” language constitutes the first step of assimilation, and during their average 16-year education, children spend their lives being educated in a different language. This situation leads to identity confusion at its core and can also cause cultural assimilation. 

 

We interviewed women on the streets of Wan about the public's demand for education in their native language.

 

‘We are Kurds, and our language is Kurdish’

 

Havva Seven, the first to speak into our microphone, stated that they are Kurds and speak Kurdish in all areas of their lives, saying that education in their mother tongue is necessary. Havva Seven said, “I want education in our mother tongue. It is better to be educated in our own language because we always speak our own language everywhere. We are Kurds and our language is Kurdish. We cannot change.” 

 

‘Education should also be in Kurdish’

 

Özge Kutpınar, who spoke next, emphasized her objection to the lack of education in the mother tongue, stating that she had spoken and lived in Kurdish since childhood. Underlining that the language she learned from her family was also Kurdish, Özge Kutpınar said, “When we started school, we were taught Turkish. Yes, we learned Turkish because we had to, but we spoke Kurdish when we went home, when we walked down the street. The books we were taught may have been written in Turkish, but I am Kurdish and I will remain so. It would be better for us to have education in our mother tongue at school. Just as we learn other languages, we should also receive education in our own language. 

 

Education should not only continue in Turkish; it should also be in Kurdish. Education in the mother tongue would also be better for the children's psychology. Because when they speak a different language at home and at school, it confuses them. Children should not forget their own languages. The Kurdish language needs to be in education. Kurdish is better for us. Our mother tongue should not disappear."

 

‘Of course we want education in our mother tongue’

 

Firuze Erbay, who spoke afterwards, said, “We want our own language in education. Let’s not speak Turkish. We live in our own language. We hold our heads high with our language and our lives. Of course we want education in our mother tongue. Kurds should know their own language.”

 

‘Kurdish should also be spoken in state institutions’

 

Songül Aydın, who spoke to our microphone, said that education in the mother tongue would be good, stating, “I think there should be education in the mother tongue. It would be good for our children. There are people around us who don't know Turkish. For this reason, they struggle in state institutions. Because someone has to interpret for them. Kurdish needs to be learned. Kurdish should also be spoken in state institutions.”

 

‘We want our children to receive education in Kurdish’

 

Meşure Alay, who says that the mother tongue is very important, states, “We use our language everywhere, all the time. We love our language and are proud of it. We want our children to learn Kurdish too. We want our children to receive education in Kurdish because it is our mother tongue. We don't want our language to disappear. If they receive education in their mother tongue, our children will be able to express themselves better. Education in our mother tongue is our right." 

 

'Education in our mother tongue is our right'

 

Zeynep Demir said, “Just as it is said that every language should be learned, our mother tongue should also be learned. Education in our mother tongue is our right. Our language has survived from the past to the present. It is like our tradition. Our children need to learn our language. I also demand education in our mother tongue. We should be given the same rights as Turks have.”