Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality’s Zarokistan 450 Evler and Zarokistan Bağcılar Day-care Centres, which will provide multilingual services, have received applications exceeding their available capacity. Head of the Department of Social Services, Ömer Saman, stated that with a multilingual education model they aim to support the personal development of children.

The Metropolitan Municipality continues its efforts to provide services based on multilingualism and multiculturalism. In this context, more than 350 applications were submitted for the 320 available places at Zarokistan 450 Evler and Zarokistan Bağcılar Day-care Centres, which operate under the Children’s Branch Directorate of the Department of Social Services.

Lessons to begin on 15 September

As part of the new academic year, an orientation programme will be held between 8–12 September, with lessons commencing on 15 September.

Pre-school education

At Zarokistan Nursery and Day-care Centres, children aged 3–6 will acquire skills within the framework of pre-school education. They will also benefit from a variety of social activities, including drama, music, theatre, philosophy, sports and arts workshops.

Meals—including breakfast, lunch and snacks—will be planned and prepared by specialist dieticians at the day-care centres.

Activities to be multilingual

At the Nurseries and Day-care Centres, pre-school activities will be delivered in multiple languages. Children will be able to benefit from Zarokistan nurseries on weekdays between 08:00 and 17:00.

In addition to the Zarokistan Nurseries and Day-care Centres, child development support is also provided at the Ben û Sen, Yeniköy, Sümerpark and DİSMEK play areas.

‘Education will be multilingual and mother tongue-based’

Providing information on the Day-care Centres, Head of the Department of Social Services, Ömer Saman, stated that there are two centres, Zarokistan 450 Evler and Bağcılar, and continued:

“In these centres, we support children’s personal development through a multilingual, mother tongue-based education model. This year, we received more than 350 applications. At Bağcılar, the number of applications exceeded the 160 available places, so we had to make a selection. In cases where new spaces are created or vacancies arise, we admit children from the waiting list. At 450 Evler, our registrations are nearly full.”

‘We are expanding our goal’

Emphasising that Zarokistans are not only day-care centres but also places that support children’s psychosocial, physical and artistic development, Saman said:

“Our curriculum includes philosophy workshops, sports, theatre, music, drama and visual arts. Children receive education both in their mother tongue and in different dialects and foreign languages. When we launched this model in 2015, our aim was to ensure that children could develop in a safe and ecological environment. Today, we are expanding this goal. In the coming period, we will create further opportunities to support their artistic, cultural and personal development. We also plan to extend play areas to residential complexes.”

‘We will also carry out programmes for trainers and parents’

Saman noted that their work would not only focus on children but also on the development of teachers and parents, saying:

“While our children continue their education, at certain times we will also involve our teachers in training. Alongside their professional development, we will support them in improving their communication skills. Parents are also an important part of this process. We are planning activities to help them gain a democratic and ecological perspective.”

‘We are planning ecological summer camps’

Stating that education at Zarokistans will continue until June, Saman explained that summer courses will be launched afterwards, open not only to children attending Zarokistan but to all children in the city. He added that they aim to organise ecological summer camps in natural settings, with camping areas where children can pitch their own tents.

Saman continued:

“Zarokistans are not only day-care centres, but also spaces that prioritise children’s participation, instil democratic culture and provide multi-faceted developmental support. A multilingual environment makes a significant contribution to children’s cognitive development. By combining this with artistic and physical development, we aim to provide child education that meets universal standards.”