Bêrîtan Elyakut/JINHA

KOBANÊ – The city of Kobanê's resistance against Daesh's attempt to devastate the Kurdish city has continued with the construction of three schools, with another school under construction now. Teachers working to bring education to the children who have returned to the ruined city say they face a serious lack of materials and books.

The Daesh attacks on Kobanê, which lasted for months, left many schools in the city in ruins. The teachers of Kobanê's schools have been the ones to rebuild the schools, holding classes in containers when necessary.

Ruken Ahmed is one of the teachers who has worked on the construction of the three current schools serving 700 students. The schools have been named after those who lost their lives in the Kobanê resistance. The new school, currently under construction, will be named after Viyan Amara—a YPJ fighter who had been a teacher in Kobanê before the war.

Ruken says that "we can have a pen in one hand and a gun in the other," referring to education as part of the self-defense of Kobanê against attacks. She said the school currently needs Kurdish-language books, storybooks, grammar, dictionaries, notebooks, pens and other supplies.

Not just Daesh occupation, but the long traces of the Arab nationalist Ba'ath party have an effect on education in Kobanê. Most of the teachers have been trained to teach in Arabic. Ruken says part of the work of the schools has been getting Kurdish-language texts into the hands of teachers so they can begin teaching Kurdish alongside Arabic.

"For our martyrs, for the work that they've expended, today we have to learn Kurdish," said Ruken.

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