According to a recent survey, most Kurds in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey wish to study in their mother tongue, and about one in four are able to speak Kurdish fluently.

The survey, conducted by the Socio-Political Field Research Center at the end of July, revealed that 97.79% of Kurds in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey demand the right to Kurdish-language education in schools.

However, only 45.5% of participants knew that Kurdish is offered as an elective subject in schools, while 21% were unaware that such courses have existed for 13 years and that Kurdish children can take them.

The study, carried out across 23 cities in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey, also found that just 23.5% of respondents said they could speak Kurdish fluently.

The survey further showed that “those who struggle to speak their mother tongue fluently are mostly young people with higher levels of education.”

According to the results, 24.7% of respondents reported speaking Kurdish daily, while 77.9% said they listen to Kurdish music.

Under Article 3 of the Turkish Constitution, Turkish is defined as the sole official language of the country, and amendments to this article as well as to Articles 1 and 2 are prohibited.