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ARMENIA WAS BETTER THAN TURKEY, SAYS MIGRANT PUPIL (PHOTOS)
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/11/16/armenian-school/
16.11.12
An Armenian migrant schoolboy attending Istanbul's Hrant Dink school
says he would very much wish to return to Armenia where he felt much
more comfortable than in Turkey.
Erik Gevorgyan, 11, left Armenia with his parents and a grandmother
in 2004, like many others who have moved to Turkey out of the dire
need of a job.
"It was better in Armenia," says Erik, who formerly lived in Yerevan.
"My daddy does wood engraving and mummy does a cleaning job," he says.
The child has dim recollections of Armenia, but the desire to return
to Armenia is not the only and the most serious problem the students
of the Istanbul-based Armenian schools face.
The school's principal, Heriknaz Avagyan, says one of their best
pupils, Karen, was subjected to psychological violence out of school
serving tea to a master.
"We got very excited when we heard that," she says, adding that
her husband had asked the master personally to take the 13-year old
boy under his apprenticeship. "We were greatly offended and took it
very hard."
The principal noted that other Armenian children too, often become
victims of psychological violence in Istanbul.
"It is very hard to find a solution, but we are trying our best to
make the children realize that this is a war and that they must be
able to protect themselves by all means ... That's to say, it is a war
that has entrapped the child prematurely, so he has to face it," said
Avagyan, who was for eight years an Armenian language and literature
teacher at a Yerevan secondary school.
"But we have a growing number of pupils, unfortunately. Twenty children
were admitted to the first grade this year, with the total number of
pupils being 108 at the school," she added.
A pastor at Istanbul's Armenian Evangelical Church, Rev. Krikor
Agabaloglu (Agabalian), says although the school has no permission
to operate, the Turkish authorities do not ban it from organizing
the Armenian children's education.
"We do our job. Should there be any measure by the state, we'll think
of what to do. But we will keep working because they are our children.
The state refrains from any interference now. It is now necessary
to first of all prevent the children from Armenia from losing the
language skills," he said.
Noting that the Turks are very staunch nationalists, the reverend
stressed the need of being very cautious and vigilant in the Turkish
society.
He said the school receives its textbooks from Armenia. Formerly
reliant on different sources' funding, and partially the parents,
the school later established ties with the Karitas Foundation which
now provides food for the pupils and covers the teachers' salaries.
Hersilia Petrosyan, who settled in Istanbul ten years ago, says she
left Armenia because of employment-related difficulties.
"I decided to come here for work as the situation in Armenia is [bad],
you know. I have been working here for ten years, and thank God, my job
allows me to provide for my children and grandchildren," she explains.
Petrosyan thinks the Armenian immigrants in Istanbul must stay there
until they feel they can find a job in Armenia to take care of their
families.
"You know, it seems to me we have to stay here until we see everything
comes right in Armenia so that people will have jobs and be properly
paid. We do not want to stay here; we are very eager to go to
our country but you know that the situation is like there. It is
impossible. I am from Yerevan. I sought employment opportunities
there; tried to work as a waitress for 1,000 Drams [approx $2.5]
per day. Can you provide for a family with that?" she asked.
"Sometimes I blame myself, asking why I stay here at all. But looking
at these children, I realize the answer to my question," says Lilit
Poghosyan, a teacher of the Armenian language and literature, who
has been working in Istanbul for two years.
"It is good here, but as I attended neither a school nor a kindergarten
in Armenia, I don't know whether or not it is good there," Yeva
Lazarian, a student at the Hrant Dink school, says,
The child says she would very much like to return to Armenia,
adding that her family too, is discussing the issue. "But only I
will go there to live with my grandmother and grandfather," says the
10-year-old girl.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/11/16/armenian-school/
16.11.12
An Armenian migrant schoolboy attending Istanbul's Hrant Dink school
says he would very much wish to return to Armenia where he felt much
more comfortable than in Turkey.
Erik Gevorgyan, 11, left Armenia with his parents and a grandmother
in 2004, like many others who have moved to Turkey out of the dire
need of a job.
"It was better in Armenia," says Erik, who formerly lived in Yerevan.
"My daddy does wood engraving and mummy does a cleaning job," he says.
The child has dim recollections of Armenia, but the desire to return
to Armenia is not the only and the most serious problem the students
of the Istanbul-based Armenian schools face.
The school's principal, Heriknaz Avagyan, says one of their best
pupils, Karen, was subjected to psychological violence out of school
serving tea to a master.
"We got very excited when we heard that," she says, adding that
her husband had asked the master personally to take the 13-year old
boy under his apprenticeship. "We were greatly offended and took it
very hard."
The principal noted that other Armenian children too, often become
victims of psychological violence in Istanbul.
"It is very hard to find a solution, but we are trying our best to
make the children realize that this is a war and that they must be
able to protect themselves by all means ... That's to say, it is a war
that has entrapped the child prematurely, so he has to face it," said
Avagyan, who was for eight years an Armenian language and literature
teacher at a Yerevan secondary school.
"But we have a growing number of pupils, unfortunately. Twenty children
were admitted to the first grade this year, with the total number of
pupils being 108 at the school," she added.
A pastor at Istanbul's Armenian Evangelical Church, Rev. Krikor
Agabaloglu (Agabalian), says although the school has no permission
to operate, the Turkish authorities do not ban it from organizing
the Armenian children's education.
"We do our job. Should there be any measure by the state, we'll think
of what to do. But we will keep working because they are our children.
The state refrains from any interference now. It is now necessary
to first of all prevent the children from Armenia from losing the
language skills," he said.
Noting that the Turks are very staunch nationalists, the reverend
stressed the need of being very cautious and vigilant in the Turkish
society.
He said the school receives its textbooks from Armenia. Formerly
reliant on different sources' funding, and partially the parents,
the school later established ties with the Karitas Foundation which
now provides food for the pupils and covers the teachers' salaries.
Hersilia Petrosyan, who settled in Istanbul ten years ago, says she
left Armenia because of employment-related difficulties.
"I decided to come here for work as the situation in Armenia is [bad],
you know. I have been working here for ten years, and thank God, my job
allows me to provide for my children and grandchildren," she explains.
Petrosyan thinks the Armenian immigrants in Istanbul must stay there
until they feel they can find a job in Armenia to take care of their
families.
"You know, it seems to me we have to stay here until we see everything
comes right in Armenia so that people will have jobs and be properly
paid. We do not want to stay here; we are very eager to go to
our country but you know that the situation is like there. It is
impossible. I am from Yerevan. I sought employment opportunities
there; tried to work as a waitress for 1,000 Drams [approx $2.5]
per day. Can you provide for a family with that?" she asked.
"Sometimes I blame myself, asking why I stay here at all. But looking
at these children, I realize the answer to my question," says Lilit
Poghosyan, a teacher of the Armenian language and literature, who
has been working in Istanbul for two years.
"It is good here, but as I attended neither a school nor a kindergarten
in Armenia, I don't know whether or not it is good there," Yeva
Lazarian, a student at the Hrant Dink school, says,
The child says she would very much like to return to Armenia,
adding that her family too, is discussing the issue. "But only I
will go there to live with my grandmother and grandfather," says the
10-year-old girl.