Special Kurdish classes fill the gap left in schoolrooms in Iranian Kurdistan

MARIWAN, Iran - This is a Kurdish class in Eastern Kurdistan (in Iran), but it is not in a schoolroom.  In Iran, children cannot receive education in Kurdish at schools. Although allowed by law, it is in practice forbidden. Yet, this does not mean they are banned from pursuing their interest in Kurdish.

A cultural center in the Iranian city of Mariwan provides the opportunity for these children to learn how to read and write in their Kurdish mother tongue during the summer. The children are also provided books for this purpose.

“The book is modern. It contains conversation, reading and writing.  It means the children will learn both how to read and write very well. It also has a very special graphic and drawing design. It is a very modern book. I think such a book has not been designed for children (in Iranian Kurdistan) before”

The classes are set at two levels: children and adults.  The center provides learning in the Sorani and Kurmanci dialects of the Kurdish language.

Because teaching in Kurdish is forbidden in schools in Iran, many organizations and cultural centers have tried in the past two decades to fill this gap.

Under the former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many activities of these organizations faced challenges, and some of their problems last to this day.

“This popular center treats (Kurdish) culture responsibly in Eastern Kurdistan, in particular in Mariwan. In this respect it is very sensitive towards this issue. That is why it works with university qualified arts teachers, and here they teach in special classes to the participants.”

Apart from Kurdish, these children attend other special learning classes, like drawing.  The Vejin center has provided opportunities in many aspects, so that these children will not waste their summer holidays. They learn about photography, theatre or philosophy for children.

The participation of children in these classes shows how interested they are in learning. Not only do these children learn in these classes, they also help them continue their studies in this way.