Kurdish language courses started in the city of Winterthur in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland in the 2024-2025 school year.

The first lesson of the new term was held at the Winterthur Kurdish Community Centre.

At the beginning of the lesson, the children and their families stood in silence to the accompaniment of the Kurdish anthem 'Ey Reqîb'. Then Mamoste (Teacher) Ismail Demir made the opening speech at the first lesson of the new academic year and gave information about the new term language courses.

“The Kurdish language is our existence. Without Kurdish there would be no nation and no country. Two things are necessary for a school, one is the language and the other is the country. These are indispensable. Our language is Kurdish, and our country is Kurdistan. We have to protect our country and our language,” Demir said.

Ali Şimşek, on behalf of the Swiss Kurdish Institute, said, “We have been dragged here because of the persecution of our country and our language. I believe that we will reach our goal with the efforts of us and our society and the flow of history. One day we will definitely return to our country, to our lands and live there freely together.”

Children and their families showed great interest in the new term Kurdish language course.