Opening of “Kurdistan School” in Leuven, Belgium

ARK News.. For the first time in the Belgian city of Leuven, a Kurdish primary school named “Kurdistan School” has officially opened, the result of efforts by a group of Kurdish teachers and activists seeking to preserve Kurdish language and culture in the diaspora.

The school’s primary objective is to teach Kurdish as a mother tongue to Kurdish children living abroad, ensuring they do not lose their national identity and enabling them to read and write in their own language, despite being enrolled in Belgian public schools where instruction is conducted in the country’s official language.

Speaking to Kurdistan24, Shadia Salim, a teacher at the school, described the initiative as a landmark achievement. “This is the most beautiful project presented in Belgium so far,” she said. “The generations before these children do not know the Kurdish alphabet, and this represents a catastrophe in the coming years—when someone says they are Kurdish but cannot write in their mother tongue.”

Another teacher, Nasik Nasser, expressed gratitude to the Confederation of the Kurdistani Community for its support in establishing the school. “We extend our sincere thanks to the Confederation of the Kurdistani Community, which helped us found this school, and we have very great hope for the future,” she said.

The initiative has also been welcomed by Kurdish families. Shiwa Hussein, a Kurdish mother who enrolled her two children, voiced her happiness with the project. “We are very happy with this initiative,” she said. “We want our children to learn Kurdish words, letters, and language here, and to become familiar with their authentic culture.”

Interest in the school has extended beyond Kurdish families. Pauline, a Belgian citizen married to a Kurd, brought her children to enroll in Kurdish language classes, stressing the importance of linguistic connection. “It is important for our children to learn their father’s language well, so they do not face difficulties communicating when they return to Kurdistan,” she explained.

Beyond language instruction, the school aims to strengthen national and cultural awareness through art lessons, songs, and a range of activities. It currently enrolls 50 students and employs four teachers.

Founders of the school noted that their biggest challenge is the lack of a suitable building and the limited size of classrooms compared with the growing number of students. They have appealed to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Education to provide support and cooperate with them in sustaining and expanding the initiative.

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