Study of the Abkhaz language can be introduced in public universities and schools in Turkey

The Turkish newspaper «Hurriyet» on 14 June 2012 reported that the Turkish Parliament held a hearing at the request of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in connection with the question of the introduction of the Kurdish language in public universities and schools as an optional subject.

Following the Prime Minister the Minister of Education, Omer Dincer, made a proposal for the introduction of teaching in public universities and schools in Turkey of a number of languages of the peoples living in the country, including the Abkhaz language. In the statement the Minister of Education of Turkey said that for the introduction of a language as an optional subject, one must have at least 10-12 students wishing to learn the said language. The Minister of Education also announced the requirements that must be satisfied for this or that language to be introduced into the curricula of state educational institutions. One is here speaking of special programmes for tuition and of textbooks for the study of the said languages.

It should be noted that the issue has been repeatedly raised in the Parliament of the Republic of Turkey over the past five years.

Information about this was given to ApsnyPress in the Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia’s Section for Turkey and the Near East.