# CE2004088EN.01003801.xml

| 8.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 88/38 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 88/38

---

(2004/C 88 E/0041)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1665/03

by Luigi Vinci (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(19 May 2003)

Subject:   Kurdish language teaching in Turkey

Subject:

About ten months ago the Turkish Parliament adopted new legislation which was supposed to allow private schools to be set up for the teaching of the Kurdish language.

However, the provisions also stipulated that:

| — | private schools which already teach foreign languages cannot teach Kurdish too, i.e. schools must be set up specifically to teach Kurdish; |
| --- | --- |

—

private schools which already teach foreign languages cannot teach Kurdish too, i.e. schools must be set up specifically to teach Kurdish;

| — | Kurdish may be taught only by teachers with a Kurdish language teaching qualification — which until a year ago did not officially exist, and therefore there could not be any schools to qualify teachers to teach the language! |
| --- | --- |

—

Kurdish may be taught only by teachers with a Kurdish language teaching qualification — which until a year ago did not officially exist, and therefore there could not be any schools to qualify teachers to teach the language!

| — | Foreign teachers cannot be used to teach Kurdish. |
| --- | --- |

—

Foreign teachers cannot be used to teach Kurdish.

This means that it has not been possible to open a Kurdish language school anywhere in Turkey.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned legislation states that access to Kurdish language courses is restricted to people who already have a full command of the Turkish language after completing their primary education. In practice this means only students over 15 years old, and even then not all of them, since there is a low level of literacy in south-east Turkey.

This is obviously a crude and cynical move designed to fool the Kurds in Turkey and the European Union, which has requested that Turkey behave in a civilised way.

Will the Commission analyse this information and does it not consider that it should be forceful in telling the Turkish Government that its attitude makes it impossible for Turkey to join the European Union.

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2003)

(19 June 2003)

The Commission is aware of the situation regarding the provisions for the teaching of languages and dialects (other than Turkish) traditionally used by Turkish citizens, as outlined in the Regulation issued by the Ministry of National Education on 20 September 2002.

The Commission has raised its concerns regarding the limited possibilities for the teaching of languages and dialects other than Turkish in its regular dialogue with the Turkish authorities. The Commission considers that the regulatory requirements might constitute an obstacle to the teaching of languages other than Turkish.

In the recently approved revised Accession Partnership with Turkey, Turkey is asked to ensure cultural diversity and to guarantee cultural rights for all citizens irrespective of their origin. This includes the need to ensure effective access to education, radio and television broadcasting in languages other than Turkish through the implementation of existing measures and the removal of remaining restrictions that impede this access.

As a Union candidate country, Turkey aims to fulfil the Copenhagen political criteria, which include respect for and the protection of minorities. In this respect, the Commission will continue to monitor the situation of non-Turkish language teaching in Turkey, which will include an assessment of the regulatory environment in which such courses are permitted.

---