Department: ELT Education Department

The workshop in brief:

The International Workshop on “The Kurdish Language Textbook in Transition” was held on November 20, 2025 at Tishk International University (TIU). The event was jointly organized by the Goethe Institute and the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department, Faculty of Education, TIU. The workshop brought together international and regional experts in linguistics, curriculum design, and foreign-language pedagogy to address the growing need for a structured, modern Kurdish language teaching framework for non-native speakers living and working in the Kurdistan Region.

Keynote speakers from Germany and Sweden, along with Kurdish scholars and policymakers, examined comparative language-teaching models—particularly the German experience in teaching German as a foreign language—and explored how these methodologies could be contextualized for Kurdish language education. The event included keynote lectures, panel discussions, and collaborative sessions moderated by local experts.

The workshop served as a significant academic platform to initiate dialogue on textbook development, curriculum standards, and pedagogical innovation, with a strong emphasis on strengthening international partnerships and promoting inclusive and equitable access to Kurdish language learning.

Workshop Objectives

1. To explore international best practices in foreign-language teaching, particularly the German model, and examine their applicability to Kurdish language instruction for non-native speakers.
2. To provide a platform for German and Kurdish language experts to share experiences, methodologies, and challenges related to curriculum design, textbook development, and teaching approaches.
3. To initiate the development of a comprehensive, unified Kurdish language course and textbook designed specifically for non-Kurdish residents in the Kurdistan Region, based on evidence-based pedagogical principles.
4. To support educational inclusivity and integration by responding to the linguistic needs of the region’s increasingly diverse population, contributing to improved communication, social cohesion, and reduced linguistic barriers.
5. To strengthen international academic collaborations between TIU, the Goethe Institute, and other educational partners, laying the foundation for sustained cooperation in language education research and development.
6. To align Kurdish language teaching initiatives with global educational standards, including communicative and learner-centered approaches that reflect modern language-teaching frameworks such as CEFR.
7. To contribute to broader institutional and regional goals, including advancing sustainable quality education (SDG 4), fostering inclusion and reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and promoting international partnerships (SDG 17).

Participants: 70 staff participants.

Place: Tishk International University, Education Building-302

Session topics: 

1. Norms and standards of German Language
2. German experience in development of the standard German
3. Teaching Kurdish Language in Sweeden
4. Kudish as a foreign language teaching: Kurdistan Experiences

presenters

1. Kathrin Kunkel-Razum, Head of the Duden editorial team, Germany
2. Dr. Henning Lobin, Director of the Leibniz Institute for the German Language (IDS), Germany
3. Fahmi Kakaee, Teacher in Kurdish and Arabic, member of Swedish Association of Educational Writers, Sweden.
4. Dyar Ali Kamal – Associate Professor of Linguistics, Salahaddin University
5. Qais Kakil Tawfiq, Professor of Kurdish Linguistics, Soran University
6. Dr. Shakhawan Sideeq Ramadhan – Director of Language and Translation Centre, Salahaddin University-Erbil

1. Agreement on Developing a Unified Kurdish Language Textbook
   Participants reached a shared understanding of the need for a standardized Kurdish textbook for non-native speakers, based on modern, communicative teaching principles.
2. Identification of Key Curriculum Priorities
   The workshop defined essential elements for a new curriculum, including practical communication skills, cultural integration, and CEFR-inspired proficiency levels.
3. Adoption of Insights from the German Teaching Model
   German experts provided practical strategies that can be adapted to strengthen Kurdish language teaching and material design.
4. Strengthened International Collaboration
   The event reinforced cooperation between TIU and the Goethe Institute, laying the groundwork for continued partnership and follow-up initiatives.
5. Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals The workshop advanced SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by promoting inclusive language education and international cooperation.