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ARMENIAN STUDENTS TAKE ON DISCRIMINATION IN TURKISH TEXTBOOKS
Today's Zaman
Jan 19 2012
Turkey
Armenian grade school students in Turkey have prepared a document
that points out the usage of degrading expressions about the Armenian
community in Turkish textbooks, which they plan to submit to the
Ministry of Education in a request for an unbiased portrayal of
the community.
Education Minister Omer Dincer held a meeting in Ankara two weeks
ago with a group of grade school students from İstanbul's private
Pangaltı Armenian Secondary School. The students prepared a document
that included all misrepresentations of Armenians in Turkish textbooks
used in grade school and high school education, which Dincer asked
them in the meeting to do "as homework." The minister promised to
analyze their comments in order to reach a conclusion on Armenian
misrepresentation in the textbooks.
The students did their "homework" and prepared a document with the
help of other Armenian schools in İstanbul.
The school will submit the document to the ministry before the semester
ends later this month.
The document mainly de-monstrates the need for an impartial approach
toward Armenians. "The textbooks only mention anti-Ottoman Armenian
acts during World War I. However, Armenians were not the only
insurgent community during that time as even some Turkish gangs
revolted against the Ottoman army," the school's director Karekin
Barsamyan exclusively told Today's Zaman on Wednesday, saying they
noted this issue in the document.
Barsamyan said the document also suggests textbooks cite the Armenian
community's service to the Ottoman Empire, as the two communities
lived in fraternity for centuries, instead of emphasizing fights
between Turks and Armenians during the war. "The humiliation
and misrepresentation [of Armenians] lead to a strong bias among
non-Armenian Turkish citizens, creating serious problems for our
children in universities and at work," he elaborated.
Barsamyan also briefly discussed the recent debates on a French bill
penalizing the denial of an "Armenian genocide," which is to be voted
on in the French senate on Jan. 23. "This issue [of Ottoman acts
against Armenians] should have been solved between the Armenian and
Turkish peoples decades ago, with mutual empathy. Because we did
not solve it, third parties think they have a say on the issue,"
the director said.
Similarly, Silva Kuyumcu-yan, the director of İstanbul's private
Getronagan Armenian High School, said to Today's Zaman, "We'd like to
teach friendship to our students instead of discrimination, but those
textbooks are a serious obstacle to our efforts." She also noted that
she appreciates the ministry's decision to look into this issue.
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman
Jan 19 2012
Turkey
Armenian grade school students in Turkey have prepared a document
that points out the usage of degrading expressions about the Armenian
community in Turkish textbooks, which they plan to submit to the
Ministry of Education in a request for an unbiased portrayal of
the community.
Education Minister Omer Dincer held a meeting in Ankara two weeks
ago with a group of grade school students from İstanbul's private
Pangaltı Armenian Secondary School. The students prepared a document
that included all misrepresentations of Armenians in Turkish textbooks
used in grade school and high school education, which Dincer asked
them in the meeting to do "as homework." The minister promised to
analyze their comments in order to reach a conclusion on Armenian
misrepresentation in the textbooks.
The students did their "homework" and prepared a document with the
help of other Armenian schools in İstanbul.
The school will submit the document to the ministry before the semester
ends later this month.
The document mainly de-monstrates the need for an impartial approach
toward Armenians. "The textbooks only mention anti-Ottoman Armenian
acts during World War I. However, Armenians were not the only
insurgent community during that time as even some Turkish gangs
revolted against the Ottoman army," the school's director Karekin
Barsamyan exclusively told Today's Zaman on Wednesday, saying they
noted this issue in the document.
Barsamyan said the document also suggests textbooks cite the Armenian
community's service to the Ottoman Empire, as the two communities
lived in fraternity for centuries, instead of emphasizing fights
between Turks and Armenians during the war. "The humiliation
and misrepresentation [of Armenians] lead to a strong bias among
non-Armenian Turkish citizens, creating serious problems for our
children in universities and at work," he elaborated.
Barsamyan also briefly discussed the recent debates on a French bill
penalizing the denial of an "Armenian genocide," which is to be voted
on in the French senate on Jan. 23. "This issue [of Ottoman acts
against Armenians] should have been solved between the Armenian and
Turkish peoples decades ago, with mutual empathy. Because we did
not solve it, third parties think they have a say on the issue,"
the director said.
Similarly, Silva Kuyumcu-yan, the director of İstanbul's private
Getronagan Armenian High School, said to Today's Zaman, "We'd like to
teach friendship to our students instead of discrimination, but those
textbooks are a serious obstacle to our efforts." She also noted that
she appreciates the ministry's decision to look into this issue.
From: A. Papazian