One Language, One Identity, One Future: Syriac

15/09/2026

When discussing the future of Syriac, simply saying “let’s protect our language” is no longer enough. The real issue we need to address is how, where, and within what educational system Syriac will be passed on to future generations. Today, in Tur Abdin, a significant portion of Syriac education is carried out through the efforts of our churches, monasteries, foundations, associations, and teachers who have shown great dedication.

Thanks to years of hard work, many children are learning to read, write, and speak Syriac. These efforts are extremely valuable, should be supported, and must continue. However, we must also clearly state the fact that, while the education provided today is very important, it is not sufficient on its own. The future of Syriac education cannot be left solely to a few hours of lessons given in churches and monasteries.

Syriac is more than just a language of worship; it is a mother tongue. It is a living language with its own literature, history, oral culture, and thousands of years of accumulated knowledge. Therefore, Syriac education needs to be structured in a professional, continuous, and pedagogical manner. Therefore, our fundamental demand today must be clear: schools providing Syriac language education need to be opened. It is not enough for our children to try to learn their mother tongue only during the summer months or with a few hours of lessons in churches. Syriac should be taught from preschool onwards, within a curriculum appropriate to the children’s age and level.

The Syriac language education provided in our various institutions today is extremely important. The efforts of our teachers and volunteers who have been providing this education for years have a great share in keeping the Syriac language alive in Tur Abdin. It is impossible to ignore this effort. However, while acknowledging the importance of existing education, we must also say that it needs to be improved and transformed into a more professional education system.

Knowing a language and teaching it professionally are not the same thing. Therefore, Syriac education should be provided by teachers who have received professional training in language teaching, child development, educational sciences, and pedagogical methods, each specializing in their own field. The appropriate teaching method according to the child’s age, the stages of teaching reading and writing, how speaking and listening skills will be developed, and how the student’s progress will be monitored should all be determined within a professional educational framework. The groundwork for this must be laid today.

Academic and pedagogical programs must be created to train Syriac language teachers, the professional development of existing educators must be supported, and new Syriac language teachers who will serve in the coming years must be trained. Simply opening school buildings is not enough. We must also train qualified and expert teachers who will educate our children in those classrooms.

A professional Syriac language education system must be established where reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills are developed together, modern textbooks are used, digital educational materials are available, and trained teachers work. This requires teacher training, the preparation of textbooks, the creation of a common curriculum, and the establishment of institutions where children can continue their education.

It is not right to expect all of this to be accomplished solely through the financial resources and volunteer work of the Syriac community. The state also has an important responsibility and must pave the way for Syriac language schools.

If we are talking about equal citizenship in Turkey, we should not evaluate equality only in the eyes of the law. The ability of people to pass on their identities, cultures, and mother tongues to future generations should also be part of the understanding of equal citizenship. Therefore, the state should view Syriac language education not as a favor or privilege, but as a matter of preserving the language of this country’s ancient community. Consequently, the state should create the necessary legal, administrative, and educational conditions for the opening of schools providing Syriac language education in areas with Syriac populations, especially in Tur Abdin.

Our demand is not merely for a few hours of elective Syriac language classes per week. We are talking about educational institutions where our children can learn their mother tongue systematically, continuously, and professionally. The state should support the opening of these schools, take responsibility for teacher training, curriculum development, the development of educational materials, and the creation of the necessary institutional infrastructure. Training Syriac language teachers should be a fundamental element of this policy.

Today, important discussions are once again taking place in Turkey regarding the solution, social peace, and coexistence. If this process is truly to progress on the basis of democratization and equal citizenship, the demands of Turkey’s diverse peoples and faiths must also be included in these discussions. Therefore, the educational, linguistic, and cultural rights of Syriacs should not be ignored in discussions about the solution and democratization.

In this sense, one of our most fundamental demands is access to Syriac language education and the opening of schools. If a community wants to preserve its language, that language should not be confined only to homes, churches, and monasteries. The language must be brought into the classroom, Syriac language textbooks must be provided for children, and expert Syriac language teachers must be trained. We need to produce stories, literary works, history books, and digital resources that children can read in their native language. And, most importantly, we need to make that child feel that their native language is no less valuable than other languages.

Our churches and monasteries have historically undertaken a crucial role in preserving the Syriac language. Syriac is still spoken in Tur Abdin today in large part due to the efforts of these institutions, teachers, and families. The value of this effort is undeniable, but the same methods alone will not be sufficient for the next generation.

The Church should continue to fulfill its duty, and the family should fulfill its responsibility. However, we should not burden the Church with the school’s responsibilities. Language education is a matter of professional training. Therefore, we need to move the future of Syriac education from volunteerism to institutionalization, from a few hours of training to continuous education, and from individual efforts to a professional training system.

Our goal should no longer be simply to teach children a few words of Syriac. It should be to raise new generations who can read, write, speak, and think in their own language. The path to this lies through education. If Turkey is to speak today of a new era of social peace and equal citizenship, it must also discuss the future of the Syriac people in this country.

The views expressed in this op-ed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of SyriacPress.