Content tagged with Armenian Schools

Just before schools were due to reopen, we learned that inspectors affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MEB) had once again visited Armenian schools, and that they had specifically requested information from school administrators about students from Armenia, including information going back to previous years. Following at least two inspections, administrators at some Armenian schools have also begun to feel anxious about how they should proceed and are now unsure what to do about students from Armenia who come to enroll for the new school year. According to information we have received, they are telling Armenian families who come to enroll their children that they cannot register them.

Following Agos’ report that students from Armenia in Turkey would no longer be able to attend Armenian schools, the Minister of National Education declared that “there is no new regulation.” While the Minister said the current system would continue, Musa Melih Demirbaşçı, General Coordinator of MAZLUMDER, which is an NGO working on violations of the educational rights of migrant and minority students, pointed to the need for a legal change rather than a verbal statement as the solution.

Last week, we reported that inspectors affiliated with the Ministry of National Education had begun an inspection of minority schools and had verbally informed some Armenian schools that students from Armenia should henceforth attend either public or private schools. The inspection continued over the past week. At the ERVAB Education Commission meeting, school principals and administrators exchanged information about the inspections. A meeting at the level of foundation heads is expected to be held next week to discuss what steps should be taken.