ARMENIAN SCHOOLS TO GET FREE BOOKS TRANSLATED FROM TURKISH

Hurriyet
March 31 2010
Turkey

The Ministry of Education has prepared mathematics and introduction
to science textbooks in Armenian to be distributed free of charge to
18 Armenian schools, NTV reported, citing daily AkÅ~_am.

The decision was made after a letter sent to Education Minister
Nimet Cubukcu by a Turkish-Armenian teacher requesting distribution
of free textbooks to Armenian schools. The request was granted as
the ministry initiated an unprecedented project for the 2011-2012
school year and assigned the Instruction and Education Institution
to translate the textbooks into Armenian in line with the ministry’s
curriculum. The head masters of some Armenian schools were invited
to Ankara for collaboration. According to the final regulation, the
mathematics and introduction to science textbooks for first, second
and third grades and three supplementary exercise books for each will
be translated into Armenian and 2,000 copies will be made. In total,
24,000 books will be published for Armenian schools. The Ministry of
Education used to distribute free Turkish culture textbooks to these
schools. Eva Orakyan, the head master of Private Pangaltı Armenian
Primary School, evaluated the project as an improvement. Stating
that there had been no demand for a similar project for high schools,
Orakyan promised collaboration if such a demand occurred. There are
24 Armenian schools in Turkey, 18 of them in Istanbul.