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NON-TURKISH CITIZENS ALLOWED TO ATTEND MINORITY SCHOOLS
Today's Zaman
March 21 2012
Turkey
The Education Ministry has changed a regulation to allow children
from Armenian, Greek and Jewish minority groups who are not Turkish
citizens to be educated in minority schools.
The change, made to the regulation on special education institutions,
involved the removal of the statement, "Only children of Turkish
citizens can go to those schools." Published in the Official Gazette on
March 20, the new arrangement will provide educational possibilities
to about 1,000 children, and minority schools, which are struggling
to find new students, will be revived.
The new regulation is expected to have a significant impact on the
children of illegal Armenian workers in Turkey. Those immigrants cannot
apply for Turkish citizenship for their children born in Turkey because
they are undocumented aliens. They cannot go back to Armenia, either,
because then they will not be able to return to Turkey; therefore,
the child can't get an Armenian passport. According to the previous
regulation, only Turkish citizens of Armenian descent were allowed to
attend the country's Armenian minority schools. The Turkish government
allowed the children to be accepted at local Armenian schools as
"guest students" for the 2011-2012 school year. Only about 50 students
have been accepted with guest student status at more than 10 Armenian
schools in Ä°stanbul, Today's Zaman has previously reported. The
parents of these Armenian children were concerned because guest
student status would not be enough for their children, who will need
proof of their education in Armenia, to where they plan to return.
At one school, attached to the GedikpaÅ~_a Armenian Protestant
Church in Ä°stanbul, Armenian teachers -- who are also undocumented
immigrants from Armenia -- follow the educational calendar of Armenia,
use the textbooks that are used in Armenia and adhere to Armenia's
educational system, with the purpose of preparing those children for
their future life in Armenia.
Today's Zaman
March 21 2012
Turkey
The Education Ministry has changed a regulation to allow children
from Armenian, Greek and Jewish minority groups who are not Turkish
citizens to be educated in minority schools.
The change, made to the regulation on special education institutions,
involved the removal of the statement, "Only children of Turkish
citizens can go to those schools." Published in the Official Gazette on
March 20, the new arrangement will provide educational possibilities
to about 1,000 children, and minority schools, which are struggling
to find new students, will be revived.
The new regulation is expected to have a significant impact on the
children of illegal Armenian workers in Turkey. Those immigrants cannot
apply for Turkish citizenship for their children born in Turkey because
they are undocumented aliens. They cannot go back to Armenia, either,
because then they will not be able to return to Turkey; therefore,
the child can't get an Armenian passport. According to the previous
regulation, only Turkish citizens of Armenian descent were allowed to
attend the country's Armenian minority schools. The Turkish government
allowed the children to be accepted at local Armenian schools as
"guest students" for the 2011-2012 school year. Only about 50 students
have been accepted with guest student status at more than 10 Armenian
schools in Ä°stanbul, Today's Zaman has previously reported. The
parents of these Armenian children were concerned because guest
student status would not be enough for their children, who will need
proof of their education in Armenia, to where they plan to return.
At one school, attached to the GedikpaÅ~_a Armenian Protestant
Church in Ä°stanbul, Armenian teachers -- who are also undocumented
immigrants from Armenia -- follow the educational calendar of Armenia,
use the textbooks that are used in Armenia and adhere to Armenia's
educational system, with the purpose of preparing those children for
their future life in Armenia.