Turkish books distributed to Kurdish children on International Literacy Day
DİYARBAKIR (DİHA) - Turkish books have been distributed to Kurdish children, who are enforced to each type of assimiliation over their mother tongue, on International Literacy Day.
A reading activity was carried out at Square Seikh Said in Diyarbakır within the pioneering of Dicle University and Diyarbakır Family and Social Politicies Provincal Management on 8 September International Literacy Day to mark the importance of reading and raise awareness in the public opinion in this subject. Turkish books were distributed to about 100 people.
'There are no Kurdish books'
What's more, Turkish books were distributed to the Kurdish children who cannot take education in their mother tongue and are exposed to assimilation for years. Dicle University Press and Public Affairs Department director Füsun Özçelebi explained the reason of lack of Kurdish books as following: "There are no Kurdish books. There are no Kurdish books in even our library."
'We struggled for our language for years'
During the activity of reading, citizen named Mehmet Kanuş spoke to DİHA and drew attention on the denial and execution policies over the Kurdish people. Kanuş added: "The schools to be opened in Bağlar, Yüksekova and Cizre in North Kurdistan, which will give education in Kurmanci and Zazaki dialects of Kurdish, should be spreaded to other cities of Kurdistan. They executed Kurds in this homeland for centuries. We will not accept anything unless we attain education in mother tongue. We have struggled for our language and our identity for years. We'll never step back in this subject."
KCK: We don't want our children to take education in foreign language
Issuing a statement before the beginning of the school term in Turkey, the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-president Cemil Bayık called for a boycott of Turkish schools in the first week of the new school year, in protest at the ongoing political and cultural policies of denial and assimilation of the Kurdish language. “Our language is our life and identity and the condition of our national being. We do not want our children to take education in foreign language.” said Bayık, calling on the Kurdish people to take to the streets to reclaim their language under the slogan “free leadership, free Kurdistan and free language”. Bayık stressed that assimilation policies will not end and children cannot enjoy free education unless Kurdish becomes an official language of education in the four parts of Kurdistan.
About the day
September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world. Some 775 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; 60.7 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.
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