Limiting Kurdish education in Syria to three hours is unacceptable

According to KurdPress, Mustafa Qarasu, a member of the Leadership Council of the Confederacy of Kurdish Communities (KCK), in an interview with Media Khabar, while explaining his views on democratic integration, addressed the situation of Kurdish language education in Syrian Kurdistan and opposed any restrictions in this regard.

Qarasu stated that democratic integration cannot be limited to the presence of a few Kurdish individuals in the administrative structure, accepting government responsibility, or reaching certain positions.According to him, the main criteria for such a model are to recognize the rights of the community, establish local democracy and ensure the possibility of people's participation in the administration of their place of residence.

He added that this definition is not limited to Turkey and should also be the basis for any political agreement in Syrian Kurdistan and other Kurdish regions.

Opposition to limiting education in Kurdish

Referring to discussions about limiting education in the mother tongue in Syrian Kurdistan, the KCK Executive Council member said: "It is said that education in the mother tongue in Syrian Kurdistan is supposed to be three hours; is this possible? It is unacceptable."

Karasu supported the opposition of the Syrian Kurds to this plan and called for this position to continue. He said: "The Kurdish people do not accept this issue and we fully support their position. This position must continue and should not be retreated from.»

He warned that those who back down from the demands of the Kurdish community on the issue of language and education will face a “historical responsibility.”

Kurdish education cannot be abandoned after more than 10 years

Referring to the history of more than a decade of education in Kurdish in Kurdish-administered areas of northern and eastern Syria, Qarasu said that it is not possible to ask students and the Kurdish community to abandon their language of instruction and return to education solely in Arabic.

“Education has been going on for more than 10 years; now we cannot say abandon Kurdish and return to Arabic,” he said.

Qarasu stressed that if democratic integration is talked about within the framework of negotiations on the future of Syria, this concept must be accompanied by guarantees for the mother tongue, local democracy, and the cultural and social rights of the people.According to him, a model that does not recognize these rights is not democratic integration and could lead to the continuation of previous policies of domination over the Kurds.