After more than two years of dedicated effort by the International Mesopotamian Cultural Association Bocholt e.V. (Internationaler Mesopotamischer Kulturverein), a parent-led Kurdish initiative in the German city of Bocholt, the Kurdish language, in its Kurmancî dialect, will begin to be taught in public schools.
Announcing that Kurdish (Kurmancî) mother-tongue education will begin in state schools in Bocholt, the International Mesopotamian Cultural Association stated that the Bocholt Education Directorate has assigned a teacher specifically for the Kurdish course in the upcoming academic year.
The association also announced that the Kurdish classes in Bocholt will be taught by experienced teacher Zîn Hisso, who will be coming from Essen, and that lessons will begin after the summer break in the 2025/2026 school year.
Zîn Hisso, the new Kurdish teacher, is originally from Amed (Diyarbakır) and is a mother of a young daughter. She moved to Germany in 2019. After completing her sociology degree, she earned a Master’s degree in Kurdish language and culture. Now working as a Kurdish teacher in official schools in the cities of Bocholt, Senden, Gelsenkirchen, and Recklinghausen, Zîn Hisso explained the importance of the Kurdish language in her life: “Kurdish is my mother tongue, and therefore it plays a crucial role in shaping my identity. It is not just a tool for communication, it is the foundation of our culture, our history, and our society. It builds a bond between me and my homeland and allows me to remain in constant connection with it.” She added that because Kurdish is banned in her homeland, the language has become a symbol of resistance and achievement for her: “There is no other language in the world that has developed under such intense oppression and brutality.”
Zîn Hisso urged Kurdish parents to apply for Kurdish-language education for their children and said, “In our own country, receiving education in our own language in public schools was once just a dream. Here in Germany, we have this opportunity. I hope Kurdish families will make use of their right to mother-tongue education for their children and will stand up to protect this right.”
For Kurdish classes, families can contact their child’s classroom teacher, school administration, Kurdish language teachers, or reach out directly to the International Mesopotamian Cultural Association Bocholt e.V. or the Association of Kurdish Teachers in Germany (Yekîtiya Mamosteyên Kurd li Almanyayê). They will receive all the necessary information there, including an enrollment form that can be completed and submitted to their child’s school. This will allow children in grades 1 through 10 (primary and lower secondary level) to participate in Kurdish-language courses in the upcoming school year.
If parents have any questions regarding the Kurdish classes, they can also contact the cultural association via email at: [email protected].
Source: ANF News
