ISTANBUL - Zeynep Torun, a member of the Education Union (Eğitim Sen), stated that changes must be made to the curriculum to ensure the right to education in one's mother tongue, saying, “We must move towards a curriculum we call the peace curriculum.”

 

Millions of Kurds are deprived of a fundamental right: education in their mother tongue, Kurdish. This year, as discussions on resolving the Kurdish issue continue, schools have begun without the right to education in the mother tongue. Zeynep Torun, Women's Secretary of Education Sen Istanbul Branch No. 8, shared her views on the matter.

 

‘The right to one’s mother tongue must be recognized!’

 

Zeynep Torun emphasized that the right to education in one’s mother tongue must be granted equally to every individual and citizen, stating that a new academic year had begun without the fundamental problems being resolved. She added, “The failure to grant this right equally to all has been a significant and serious problem in Turkey for a century. We need to recognize how important the mother tongue is for an individual. It is the first language a child acquires based on the social conditions in which they are born and raised. 

 

It is the first means of communication through which a child can express themselves and connect with their surroundings. Even in the womb, a child can perceive the world and establish a bond with their mother. At the moment of birth, with separation from their mother, they reveal their own existence and identity. The way they establish themselves in their native language when they grow up a little—when they reach the age of six and start kindergarten—is important. Going to school at this critical stage and being faced with an environment where they cannot use the language they acquired from their family causes more problems than we think.”

 

‘Democratic and peaceful solutions based on equal citizenship are needed’

 

Zeynep Torun stated that language represents identity, but that banning this language is a policy of assimilation, adding that democratic and peaceful solutions based on equal citizenship are needed. Zeynep Torun said, "Language is an identity, a way of expressing one's identity. Ignoring this, turning a blind eye to it, is a policy of assimilation. We cannot say that there is democratic life in Turkey. When children go to school and see that their identity is being ignored, they experience serious confusion. Turkey is one of the countries where nation-state ideology and single-issue policies are applied most rigidly. All policies are shaped around complete denial. It is clear that things cannot continue this way. Democratic and peaceful solutions based on equal citizenship are needed."

 

'It is the responsibility of the state'

 

Zeynep Torun, who says that education in one's mother tongue is a universal right, emphasized that this right must be provided to every individual who wants to receive education in their mother tongue. Zeynep Torun went on to say: "When we look at our country, there are many languages spoken other than Turkish. Unfortunately, citizens are not offered the opportunity to receive education in these languages. There are languages such as Kurdish, Laz, and Georgian. And Kurds are demanding this intensely. Every individual who wants to receive education in their mother tongue should be granted this right. This is not solely the responsibility of the Kurds. The responsibility for the conditions of demand does not lie with that community, but with the state." 

 

‘Serious changes need to be made to the curriculum’

 

Zeynep Torun concluded by saying that serious changes need to be made to the curriculum: “In 2006, Eğitim Sen adopted a program stating that the mother tongue is essential for every child. We advocate for free, scientific, and democratic education in the mother tongue. As a result, serious investigations were launched against our union. In the following period, we launched campaigns for education in the mother tongue. First and foremost, we want a system to be established as soon as possible where our students can receive education in their mother tongue. We want all investigations that have been launched to be withdrawn. We believe that serious changes need to be made to the curriculum. 

 

We must move towards a curriculum we call the peace curriculum. First and foremost, the single language policies in Article 42 of the 1982 Constitution must be abandoned. There are also some historical deviations and uniform approaches in the current curriculum. With these improvements, it is important to reorganize the curriculum so that all citizens can find themselves in it."