Kurdish Language Schools Expand Across the Netherlands

As part of efforts to preserve the mother tongue and support the education of Kurdish children and young people in the diaspora, the Youth Federation in the Netherlands is expanding its Kurdish language school programme. Alongside its existing schools, the federation is preparing to open three new schools in three more Dutch cities.

In an exclusive statement to the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation’s website, Roza Hama Karim said the project began after the 2025 festival. Its first school opened in Amsterdam on 4 November 2025 with seven pupils.

She explained that the federation had continued implementing its plans by opening two further Kurdish language schools. The first, in Utrecht, has 30 pupils, two supervisors and three teachers, with lessons taught in both the Sorani and Badini dialects. The second, in Almere, also teaches both dialects and has 18 pupils, one supervisor and two teachers.

Discussing the next steps, Roza Hama Karim announced that three new Kurdish language schools would open soon in The Hague, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn, with the aim of reaching as many Kurdish children in the diaspora as possible.

Roza stressed that these achievements reflect a collective effort involving a dedicated team from the Youth Federation. Their goal is to create more opportunities for mother-tongue education and further develop their work across the Netherlands.

The Kurdistani Diaspora Confederation and its member federations have made mother-tongue education one of their main priorities in diaspora communities. This work aims to preserve national and cultural identity and strengthen the younger generation’s connection to their mother tongue and homeland.