Turkey, Kurdish Education in

Kurdish Population in Turkey

There is no ethnic data collection in Turkey that shows the population of each linguistic group or the percentage of group members who speak their mother tongue. The main source of this information is anecdotal, and it is provided by the members of these groups themselves. It is not supported by any academic research or an official survey. The population of Kurds in Turkey is estimated to be between 7% and 20% of the total population. Although historically Kurds are concentrated in eastern and southeastern Turkey, today millions of Kurds live in Istanbul and other cities due to internal displacement and immigration.

The Legal Framework

Since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 as a nation-state, the creation of learning and educational opportunities in languages other than Turkish (the official language of the state) has been an unresolved challenge. The new republic was built based on the remains of the Ottoman Empire, in which “indivisible integrity of the state with its territory and nation” was a prominent ideology. This tenet ignored diversity in the society, and caused systematic assimilation of different identities, including the Kurdish one.

In this 2006 photo, Kurds in lstanbul, Turkey, take part in the festival of Newroz, the traditional Kurdish New Year. The celebration of Kurdish identity is an important part of the observance, which takes place during the spring equinox.

Source: Bertil Videt/Wikimedia Commons.

Turkish policy ignores the existence of linguistic-group minorities in its ratification of international treaties. It has also put reservations on related provisions in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: for instance, Article 27, which protects minority rights. The reservation refers to the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, which grants, among others things, the rights of certain minorities to set up their own educational institutions for non-Muslims. Although Lausanne does not refer to any particular non-Muslim group, Turkey accepts only Armenians, Rums, and Jews as minorities, and has granted only them this right. All other minority groups—including other non-Muslim groups such as the Assyrians and ethnic minorities such as the Kurds—have been excluded from this right.

The Constitution of Turkey and domestic law also promote the Turkish concept of “one nation—one language.” Article 3 of the Constitution defines Turkish as “the language of the State.” Article 42 of the Constitution states that no language other than Turkish can be taught as a mother tongue to [Page 2197]Turkish citizens at any institution of teaching or education. In practice, these articles have created a ban on the teaching of and education in minority languages, including Kurdish. No public or private educational institution teaches Kurdish language or provides instruction in Kurdish. There is no Kurdish language and literacy department at any university in Turkey. Moreover, demanding or advocating education in Kurdish has caused administrative and legal charges against some associations and political parties. At the same time, there is no ban on “foreign languages.” Several European languages are taught at the primary, high school, and university levels at both private and public institutions.

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