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MINORITY SCHOOLS IN TURKEY LACK STUDENTS, REPORT SAYS
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 19 2013
19 September 2013 /İPEK UZUM, İSTANBUL
A lack of students in Turkey's minority schools is leading them to
close down, according to a Thursday report by the History Foundation.
The report, released at a foundation press conference, says that the
steady decline in Turkey's minority populations, a rising preference
among minority students to study at non-minority schools and enrollment
limitations applied by the state have drawn student populations
at minority schools down so far that many have had to close. The
surviving Armenian and Jewish schools seem to have reached stable
enrolment levels, but low enrolment remains the single biggest problem
facing Greek schools in Turkey. In the 2012-13 academic year, 3,137
students attended Armenian schools, including 67 Armenian citizens;
230 students attended Greek schools (including students of Greek
nationality) and 688 students attended Jewish schools.
"The number of students attending these schools may be increased
and the schools may be saved from closure if students who are not
Turkish citizens or who do not belong to the same minority [group]
are allowed to enroll," the report says.
One of the biggest problems the report mentioned is the ambiguous
status of Turkey's minority schools, which are officially considered
neither private schools nor foreign schools. However, minority schools
are still associated by the public with private and foreign schools,
and are subjected to the legislation regulating private schools --
including a rule that prevents them from accepting students above
a quota allocated by the ministry of education, which causes major
financial problems and often makes it difficult for minority schools
to survive on their budgets.
The report goes on to suggest the drafting of separate laws and
regulations specific to minority schools. "A framework regulation can
be developed to cover all minority schools, taking into account the
differing characteristics of each community's schools, or separate
regulations can be prepared for the schools of each community.
"It is suggested that legislation be developed through dialogue to
bring a permanent solution to their [minority schools'] problems
while taking into consideration the texts drafted by the minority
schools concerning possible legislation," the report says.
Another problem the report mentions is the reciprocity principle
and minority schools. Though minority schools are affiliated with
foundations managed by Turkish citizens and attended by Turkish
citizens, the principle of reciprocity is imposed on the development of
legislation governing these schools and in defining their rights and
obligations. For example, if a Greek school in Turkey wants to hire a
teacher who is a Greek national, the Turkish government will require
Greece to hire a Turkish teacher to teach at a school in Greece.
According to the report, this reciprocity principle equates minorities
with foreigners, offending them and forcing them to deal with a large
number of bureaucratic and political problems. The report suggests
dropping the principle of reciprocity when preparing legislation
governing minority schools.
Yet another challenge minority schools face is a lack of trained
teachers as Turkish universities do not offer specialized education
in this field. The History Foundation suggests the establishment
of special departments for each minority group's schools in Turkish
universities.
No public authority or private institution is responsible for preparing
the textbooks and education materials needed by the minority schools of
the Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities, the report says. "Schools
should also be provided with support for the translation and printing
of textbooks. It is suggested that a special unit with a suitable
budget and employing an adequate number of qualified employees be
set up to develop textbooks and educational materials for minority
schools in Turkey. This unit should be financed by the state."
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 19 2013
19 September 2013 /İPEK UZUM, İSTANBUL
A lack of students in Turkey's minority schools is leading them to
close down, according to a Thursday report by the History Foundation.
The report, released at a foundation press conference, says that the
steady decline in Turkey's minority populations, a rising preference
among minority students to study at non-minority schools and enrollment
limitations applied by the state have drawn student populations
at minority schools down so far that many have had to close. The
surviving Armenian and Jewish schools seem to have reached stable
enrolment levels, but low enrolment remains the single biggest problem
facing Greek schools in Turkey. In the 2012-13 academic year, 3,137
students attended Armenian schools, including 67 Armenian citizens;
230 students attended Greek schools (including students of Greek
nationality) and 688 students attended Jewish schools.
"The number of students attending these schools may be increased
and the schools may be saved from closure if students who are not
Turkish citizens or who do not belong to the same minority [group]
are allowed to enroll," the report says.
One of the biggest problems the report mentioned is the ambiguous
status of Turkey's minority schools, which are officially considered
neither private schools nor foreign schools. However, minority schools
are still associated by the public with private and foreign schools,
and are subjected to the legislation regulating private schools --
including a rule that prevents them from accepting students above
a quota allocated by the ministry of education, which causes major
financial problems and often makes it difficult for minority schools
to survive on their budgets.
The report goes on to suggest the drafting of separate laws and
regulations specific to minority schools. "A framework regulation can
be developed to cover all minority schools, taking into account the
differing characteristics of each community's schools, or separate
regulations can be prepared for the schools of each community.
"It is suggested that legislation be developed through dialogue to
bring a permanent solution to their [minority schools'] problems
while taking into consideration the texts drafted by the minority
schools concerning possible legislation," the report says.
Another problem the report mentions is the reciprocity principle
and minority schools. Though minority schools are affiliated with
foundations managed by Turkish citizens and attended by Turkish
citizens, the principle of reciprocity is imposed on the development of
legislation governing these schools and in defining their rights and
obligations. For example, if a Greek school in Turkey wants to hire a
teacher who is a Greek national, the Turkish government will require
Greece to hire a Turkish teacher to teach at a school in Greece.
According to the report, this reciprocity principle equates minorities
with foreigners, offending them and forcing them to deal with a large
number of bureaucratic and political problems. The report suggests
dropping the principle of reciprocity when preparing legislation
governing minority schools.
Yet another challenge minority schools face is a lack of trained
teachers as Turkish universities do not offer specialized education
in this field. The History Foundation suggests the establishment
of special departments for each minority group's schools in Turkish
universities.
No public authority or private institution is responsible for preparing
the textbooks and education materials needed by the minority schools of
the Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities, the report says. "Schools
should also be provided with support for the translation and printing
of textbooks. It is suggested that a special unit with a suitable
budget and employing an adequate number of qualified employees be
set up to develop textbooks and educational materials for minority
schools in Turkey. This unit should be financed by the state."