The Ourhi Centre in Qamishli is considered the first language and cultural centre launched by Syriac Chrisitians in northern Syria. Photo: ARA News
ishtartv.com - aranews.net
August
17, 2016
QAMISHLI – The
Syriac-Assyrian Christians in Syria’s Hasakah, like other communities in the
province, are trying to revive their language and have education in their
mother-tongue. The ongoing instability in the country has given the
Syriac-Assyrians an opportunity to have education in their own language.
Prior
to the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, the Syriac-Assyrian Christians were not
allowed to have education in their own language, similar to the Kurds. The only
language of education used to be Arabic, due to the totalitarian policies of
the ruling Baath Party that excluded other ethnic minorities. This Christian
community has shown appreciation for this great opportunity that came
amid the current hard situation in Syria.
The
Syriac-Assyrians have recently launched a language centre known as “Ourhi
Centre” in the city of Qamishli in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province. The
project is aimed at educating the Assyrian language and train potential
teachers to bear the mission of reviving this ancient language.
“Our
centre is responsible for training teachers specialised in the Syriac language
to enable them teach different subjects in this language,” Jan Malfon, director
of Ourhi Centre, told ARA News in Qamishli.
“This
is the first time ever that our community launches its own language and
cultural centre,” he said.
Several
languages, including Assyrian, will be taught within the new curriculum at
schools under the sponsorship of the Self-Administration of Northern Syria and
Rojava.
Lorin
Afram, a Syriac language teacher in Qamishli, told ARA News: “We started our
first Syriac course in the centre with an institutional level in order to teach
students the basics of written and spoken Syriac.”
Also,
Mirna Saliba, a Syriac student at the Ourhi Centre, said: “Learning the
Syriac-Assyrian language would help us better understand our culture and
history in order to pass this knowledge to the next generations and guarantee
them learning their mother-tongue.”
|