CHILDREN’S EDUCATION MAIN WORRY FOR ARMENIAN MIGRANTS IN TURKEY

Tert.am
12:58 ~U 17.02.10

Obscured by debates about the numbers of illegal Armenian migrants in
Turkey that are rooted more in fiction than fact, the community is
most preoccupied with educating its children, according to a recent
study, reports Hurriyet Daily News.

Alin Ozinian, who headed the Eurasia Partnership Foundation study,
said the research’s main goal was to expose social and legal problems
facing Armenian migrants, adding that providing education to an
estimated 800 children was the community’s most pressing worry.

Turkish schools, including ones run by the country’s native Armenian
community, only admit the children of legally resident guardians,
meaning the children of illegal Armenian workers are prevented from
attending classes.

Children born in Turkey to illegal Armenian parents are typically
left in legal limbo as they can neither receive Turkish citizenship
nor acquire an Armenian passport when the parents are forced to
stay in Turkey for fear of being refused re-entry should they return
to Armenia.

As a result, most of the children spend their time playing on the
streets and often become involved in crime. Although older Armenians
attempt to provide the children some education in clandestine schools,
the education is largely rudimentary.

Ozinian said the Armenian Patriarchate has proposed a solution to
the government but details, at this time, remain vague.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress