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Daily Sabah, Turkey
Aug 28 2014
ASSYRIANS OF TURKEY TO OPEN THEIR OWN SCHOOL
Erhan Ã-ztürk
ISTANBUL ' Turkey's Assyrian community regain right to start a school,
86 years after their sole school was closed. A nursery school located
in Istanbul's YeÅ?ilköy district will be opened after an approval of
its curriculum. Encouraged by the Turkish government's reforms to
restore rights of minorities in the country, the Assyrian community
have applied to a court in Ankara for the opening of a school. The
Ministry of National Education has aked the Assyrians to prepare a
curriculum.
A lecturer from Artuklu University in the southeastern province of
Mardin where the Assyrian population is concentrated, drafted a
curriculum in Assyrian. An Assyrian church foundation rented a
triple-storey building in YeÅ?ilköy on Istanbul's European side for the
nursery school and a staff of six teachers were appointed. The school
now awaits approval of the ministry to start the academic year next
week.
Sait Susin, director of the Virgin Mary Assyrian Church Foundation,
said the developments regarding the rights of minorities in the past
decade motivated them to open the school. "Previously, we couldn't
even dare to speak about it, fearing reactions. Now, we can easily
talk to the prime minister and other officials about our problems.
This is an important step," he said. Susin said they were pleased that
the Ministry of National Education did not appeal to the court order
that allowed the opening of the school. "In the past, our efforts to
open a school were blocked by regulations," he said.
"Assyrian children speaking Assyrian at home had to speak another
language when they went out. They were traumatized. For instance, a
survey found students attending Assyrian language and literature
departments at the university could not understand a word of the
Assyrian used in their studies as they could not speak Assyrian
freely," Kenan Gürdal, deputy director of the foundation, said. Gürdal
said they fought for years for the opening of the school. "Now,
ministry officials, bureaucrats take an interest in our case and help
us," he said. Gürdal noted that teachers appointed at the school are
fluent in Assyrian and Aramaic as well as in English and would teach
three languages. He said 60 students will attend the school and
parents not living in Istanbul also sought to enrol their children in
the school.
The foundation had formally applied for the reopening of the school
last year but the application was initially rejected by the Ministry
of National Education on the grounds that only members of Armenian,
Greek and Jewish community can open schools according to the Treaty of
Lausanne that led to the closure of the school in 1928. The foundation
now plans to open up elementary, middle and high schools for
Assyrians.
Turkey's non-Muslim minorities have long been treated as second-class
citizens and deprived of rights such as opening schools. Since the
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power in 2002,
minorities have seen an improvement of their rights such as the return
of properties belonging to Christian communities, years after they
were seized by the state.
http://www.dailysabah.com/education/2014/08/29/assyrians-of-turkey-to-open-their-own-school
From: Baghdasarian
Aug 28 2014
ASSYRIANS OF TURKEY TO OPEN THEIR OWN SCHOOL
Erhan Ã-ztürk
ISTANBUL ' Turkey's Assyrian community regain right to start a school,
86 years after their sole school was closed. A nursery school located
in Istanbul's YeÅ?ilköy district will be opened after an approval of
its curriculum. Encouraged by the Turkish government's reforms to
restore rights of minorities in the country, the Assyrian community
have applied to a court in Ankara for the opening of a school. The
Ministry of National Education has aked the Assyrians to prepare a
curriculum.
A lecturer from Artuklu University in the southeastern province of
Mardin where the Assyrian population is concentrated, drafted a
curriculum in Assyrian. An Assyrian church foundation rented a
triple-storey building in YeÅ?ilköy on Istanbul's European side for the
nursery school and a staff of six teachers were appointed. The school
now awaits approval of the ministry to start the academic year next
week.
Sait Susin, director of the Virgin Mary Assyrian Church Foundation,
said the developments regarding the rights of minorities in the past
decade motivated them to open the school. "Previously, we couldn't
even dare to speak about it, fearing reactions. Now, we can easily
talk to the prime minister and other officials about our problems.
This is an important step," he said. Susin said they were pleased that
the Ministry of National Education did not appeal to the court order
that allowed the opening of the school. "In the past, our efforts to
open a school were blocked by regulations," he said.
"Assyrian children speaking Assyrian at home had to speak another
language when they went out. They were traumatized. For instance, a
survey found students attending Assyrian language and literature
departments at the university could not understand a word of the
Assyrian used in their studies as they could not speak Assyrian
freely," Kenan Gürdal, deputy director of the foundation, said. Gürdal
said they fought for years for the opening of the school. "Now,
ministry officials, bureaucrats take an interest in our case and help
us," he said. Gürdal noted that teachers appointed at the school are
fluent in Assyrian and Aramaic as well as in English and would teach
three languages. He said 60 students will attend the school and
parents not living in Istanbul also sought to enrol their children in
the school.
The foundation had formally applied for the reopening of the school
last year but the application was initially rejected by the Ministry
of National Education on the grounds that only members of Armenian,
Greek and Jewish community can open schools according to the Treaty of
Lausanne that led to the closure of the school in 1928. The foundation
now plans to open up elementary, middle and high schools for
Assyrians.
Turkey's non-Muslim minorities have long been treated as second-class
citizens and deprived of rights such as opening schools. Since the
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power in 2002,
minorities have seen an improvement of their rights such as the return
of properties belonging to Christian communities, years after they
were seized by the state.
http://www.dailysabah.com/education/2014/08/29/assyrians-of-turkey-to-open-their-own-school
From: Baghdasarian