Brussels, 20/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - The children of immigrant workers should be able to exercise their right to education in any school in Turkey, because the country has taken measures to make this possible. Likewise, immigrant children who want to go to a school for minorities are covered by the Turkish law on private schools, law 5580. This was the promise made on 15 April 2011 by the Turkish national education minister, Nimet Cubukcu, to the Council of Europe (CoE) Human Rights Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg, following a letter from Hammarberg in March 2011 urging the Turkish government to ensure “access to education for all migrant children, including those in an irregular situation.”
After a visit to Turkey in 2009, Thomas Hammarberg recommended that the Turkish authorities address reported shortcomings in providing access to education for all immigrant children. Last year, explains the CoE in a press release, the Ministry of National Education took steps aimed at facilitating the access to education of foreign nationals. “However, the Commissioner notes that the children or their legal guardians are still required to have a work or residence permit. I am concerned, as this will effectively hinder the provision of education to migrant children in an irregular situation”, says the Commissioner. (G.B./transl.fl)