Erdogan calls for Turkish schools in Germany, dual citizenship

[Syt]

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5388475,00.html

Erdogan calls for Turkish schools in Germany and dual citizenship


2.7 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany

Suggestions by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for more Turkish schools in Germany have been largely rejected by German officials as detrimental to integration.

German officials have rejected calls by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to introduce Turkish schools in Germany.

"In Turkey, we have German high schools - why shouldn't there be Turkish high schools in Germany?" Erdogan asked in an interview with German weekly Die Zeit.

Erdogan said that many of the almost three million people of Turkish origin living in Germany had problems with both languages, and offering education in Turkish might also help their German.

"Germany has not yet caught up with the times," Erdogan said. "One must first have a firm command of one's own language, that is to say, Turkish, and that is unfortunately rarely the case."

The federal government's integration commissioner, Maria Boehmer, acknowledged the advantage pupils might gain if they could be fluent in two languages, but said learning German should take priority.

"Only those who know German have a chance of social advancement," Boehmer, a Christian Democrat, told the daily Berliner Zeitung.

The head of the Christian Democratic Party's German-Turkish forum in North-Rhine Westphalia was also skeptical. "Turkish secondary schools are a dead end for students," Buelent Arslan told the daily Koelner Stadtanzeiger.

"To be successful in Germany, a good level of German is essential," Arslan added.

Tensions ahead of Merkel visit

The General Secretary of the Christian Democrat's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, said that Erdogan was trying to use Turkish people in Germany to further his own political purposes.

"Such demands are an affront in the run-up to his visit with our Chancellor Angela Merkel," Alexander Dobrindt told Spiegel Online.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is due in Ankara next Monday for a two-day visit. Her relationship with Erdogan is problematic, as Germany does not favor full EU membership for Turkey, calling for a 'privileged partnership' instead. Turkey has repeatedly rejected anything but full membership in the bloc.

In Berlin, which has the largest Turkish community in Germany, the Council for Education said the acquisition of Turkish language was not necessarily conducive to integration. It is the knowledge of German that counts, and often, Turks in Germany struggle to find skilled jobs because of a lack of good German, according to the Council.

It also pointed out that there are already Turkish grammar schools in Germany, but they are privately funded.

Some support

Erdogan's comments found little support in the German media, but an editorial by daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung sees some merit in Erdogan's suggestion.

The newspaper pointed out that if more French schools were to be built in Germany, it would be hailed as a symbol of Franco-German friendship. But Germany seems to have a problem with the Turkish language. It does not "count for much", according to Sueddeutsche.

Many companies are desperate to hire people with multiple language skills, so not giving Turks the opportunity to study their language in-depth, was a "missed opportunity", the paper claimed.

No dual citizenship

Erdogan also criticized the fact that Germany does not allow dual citizenship unless the additional country is a member of the EU.

"I find it regrettable that Germany is among the countries in the EU that does not allow dual citizenship," he told Die Zeit.

A child of foreign parents can only obtain dual citizenship if one parent has lived in Germany regularly for at least eight years. But, at age 23, the child needs to choose one nationality.

Erdogan is no stranger to provocation. In a speech in Cologne in 2008, Erdogan said Turks in Germany cannot be expected to 'assimilate' and deny their Turkish identity. The comments were seen by many as a direct criticism of how Germany treats people of Turkish origin.

[Alexandru H.]

Erdogan said that many of the almost three million people of Turkish origin living in Germany had problems with both languages, and offering education in Turkish might also help their German.

[Zanza]

Is Turkey willing to pay for these schools? If so, I don't see a problem.

However, in Germany all schools are under state supervision. So unless this school gets a special status (which would probably mean that it can only teach non-permanent residents or so), it would have to roughly follow German curriculums anyway.

[The Larch]

Aren't there international schools in Germany? Off the top of my head, in Spain there are British, French, German and Italian at least, teaching those countries' curriculums.

[Jaron]

Alex, there are popular teaching theories that immersion doesn't work as well as a more gradual adjustment to the new language using the native tongue as building blocks.

A couple I know of in California at least:

They have one program where the kids are taught a certain % of their studies in another language. It is very visual. I think the goal would be for them to eventually be receiving 100% of their daily studies in the other tongue. In a Turks case, I think they would start out receiving most of their lessons in Turkish starting with a low number of daily hours in German. Over time that would increase until they were receiving most of their lessons in German.

We have many other programs too. One of the more popular ones has very basic English using a lot of visual aids (often labeled in the students native tongue)

Throughout most civilized Academic circles, full immersion (sink or swim) is falling out of favor.

I would appreciate the Germans efforts to embrace one of their minority cultures and attempt to help them appreciate the finer parts of German culture. 1st generation immigrant waves are pretty much a lost cause, but 2nd and 3rd generation will be very receptive to cultural programming.

A large % of 2nd and 3rd+ generation Hispanics in the US, for example, do not speak Spanish and largely embrace American values. Look at prominent Languish Hispanics like Tim or Katmai. Neither of them speak Spanish and stupid flag waving aside, unless you met them face to face (and thus whiffed in the taco grease) you'd never know they were anything but true  blooded red white and blue.

[Viking]

This is like reverse school bussing.

Erdogan is starting to sound like a Chavez light figure.

[Josquius]

Turkish schools- no, thats a bad idea.
Dual citizenship- that should certainly be done. Odd Germany doesn't allow it currently.

[Tamas]

Arent there elections coming up in Turkey? This is just another "get 2k votes easy" populist bullshit.

[Alexandru H.]

Jaron, I really doubt that Mr. Erdogan referred to Californian experimental teaching methods when he spoke of Turkish schools.In fact, Turks need more German education, in order to properly commit to their new country. If Erdogan wants for them to learn Turkish, he should invest in books, schools, teachers and programs, not ask Germany to pay for his dreams.

[Jaron]

These are not Californian methods. They are widely embraced models of teaching that I know are used in California. I sincerely doubt that this man is calling for institutions that would serve to isolate Turks even more from Germans. The goal of every society should be a full integration of immigrants into the majority, and there is a wonderful chance to do this in schools especially designed for one cultural group.

It is in Germanys best interest for this to happen, so why shouldn't the Germans hold the bill?

[Viking]

Turkish schools- no, thats a bad idea.
Dual citizenship- that should certainly be done. Odd Germany doesn't allow it currently.

I have a half norwegian half turkish friend who refuses to go visit his family in turkey on the grounds that since he has a turkish dad the turkish state might just declare him a turkish citizen and draft him into the army when he lands at the airport.

So I expect that young turkish boys with a "BRD" on their passport would under no circumstances get a Turkish one.

[Zanza]

Aren't there international schools in Germany? Off the top of my head, in Spain there are British, French, German and Italian at least, teaching those countries' curriculums.

There are dozens of international schools in Germany. Not sure what kind of curriculums they follow though. I guess that if a school wants to allow German students to attend, it has to follow a curriculum that is allowed by the education ministry. It may be different if the school only admits foreigners.

[Martinus]

This is going to go over soooooo well in Germany. 

[The Larch]

Aren't there international schools in Germany? Off the top of my head, in Spain there are British, French, German and Italian at least, teaching those countries' curriculums.

There are dozens of international schools in Germany. Not sure what kind of curriculums they follow though. I guess that if a school wants to allow German students to attend, it has to follow a curriculum that is allowed by the education ministry. It may be different if the school only admits foreigners.

Pupils at the schools I mention aren't necessarily only from the "parent" country of the school, but Spaniards as well, mostly interested in a bilingual education and, in a long shot, university education in that particular country. Curriculums are, AFAIK, the ones of the parent country, although I guess that they have to be approved in Spain and accomodations could be made, so I guess than in Germany the situation must be similar.