Cyprus-Forum.com

by **halil** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:23 pm

The Turkish Cypriot Teachers Union, the Turkish Cypriot Secondary Teachers Union and the Greek Cypriot teachers Initiative have formed a joint platform called the ‘United Cyprus Teachers Platform’.

The aim of the platform is to be able to make suggestions in the field of education on both sides of the island and contribute to the peace process in Cyprus.
Representatives of the United Cyprus Teachers Platform today visited the Minister for National Education and Culture Canan Oztoprak to put forward their suggestions and ideas.

Speaking on behalf of the Paltform Adnan Eraslan said that they wanted to support the Cyprus negotiations process in the education field as well and noted that they supported the two leaders during the negotiations process.

Pointing to the importance of accepting bicommunal existence in Cyprus, Mr. Eraslan said that even if the leaders reach a solution in Cyprus, the achieved peace will be harmed if the two peoples on the island haven’t accepted bicommunal existence.

‘For the two peoples to be able to accommodate this idea, we are giving a list of ideas we came up with to both Ministers of National Education in Cyprus’, he added.

Also speaking during the visit, a member of the Greek Cypriot Teachers Initiative Kostis Ayonodis said that they had created a list of ideas with the aim of helping the peace process.

He also noted that the Greek Cypriot side had started to modernize its history books.

For her part the Minister of National Education and Culture Canan Oztoprak expressed her delight at the news of the history books in South Cyprus being modernized and reminded that the Turkish Cypriot side had taken the first step by modernized its history books so that children could get a better understanding of their history.

Among the ideas put forward by the platform was that Turkish and Greek Language classes be made compulsory in school island wide.

by **paliometoxo** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:39 pm

thats good the teachers working together... but i dont think both languages should be compulsary, i think each should have the choice if they would like to learn greek or turkish in school. like in england you have to learn german or french when your young then later on you can drop it. i found that some would want to learn the language while others wouldent learn a thing and quit it as soon as possible

by **halil** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:44 pm

It is true what u are saying but it might be more usefull if new generation speaks and writes both languages .

by **utu** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:12 pm

halil wrote:It is true what u are saying but it might be more usefull if new generation speaks and writes both languages .

It could also be said that because the intercommunal problems were caused by Greek and Turkish clashes, then perhaps neither language should be used, and that another one - like English or French - should be encouraged...

by **Oracle** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:18 pm

Turkish is of no use to anyone except Turks .... (in remote villages in Anatolia).

Our young people should concentrate on the Classics, Mathematics etc ... and forget the Turks and their good-for-nothing language!

The more we are reminded of the presence of the Turks ... the more backward we become .....

Let's look to Europe ... no other schools in Europe would teach Turkish without a bit of surprise

... why should we accept it?