UNESCO listed Assyrian as one of the "definitely endangered languages" of the world. It is one of the oldest languages in the Middle East and a dialect of ancient Aramaic. But the number of Assyrian speakers fell sharply throughout the years due to internal politics, conflicts, migration and oppression in the region. A recent decision by the education ministry aims to help preserve the Assyrian language and culture through opening of private schools that will teach in Assyrian. Assyrian community schools were closed 85 years ago. The Lausanne Treaty already gives minorities the right to receive education in their mother tongue but Assyrians in Turkey could not benefit from this since they were not officially recognised as a minority group by the Turkish government, unlike Jews, Armenians and Greek Orthodox. Education Minister Nabi Avci said the government is facilitating what was already written in the law. "Assyrians were not able to benefit from the law. They went to the court to gain their right to receive education in their mother tongue and they won. We (the government) agreed with the court's decision. We said 'you are right.' Preparations for a private school are under way in Midyat, Mardin," Avci told reporters in Ankara. Assyrian residents of Mardin applied to Mardin's Provincial Directorate for the National Education Ministry to open a primary school, but since the school term for 2013-2014 already started, the new school will open its doors in September 2014. "The preparations will be done just before the school year starts in 2014. According to our laws, the application to open a private school has to be received within a month before the school term starts. Schools started on September 16th. We received the application late. We told them to get ready for the next school year," Avci said. Assyrian families are excited about the opportunity. Apart from Sunday schools, Assyrian children do not get language training in their mother tongue. Sabo Boyaci, editor for an Assyrian website, welcomed the recent development and called it "bittersweet." "It was a bleeding wound for me to not being able to attend an Assyrian school. I can't read or write in my mother tongue. I'm so happy that my son, who is now at preschool age, will not live the same trauma as I did. I hope he teaches me Assyrian with the education he will receive at the new school," Boyaci told SES T