Abstract
In Turkey, education in state schools can be delivered in foreign languages such as German, French and English. However, mother tongue education cannot be provided in the languages of minorities or local groups other than those officially accepted as minorities (that is, according to the Treaty of Lausanne). In this regard, the primary aim of this study was to reveal the views of postgraduate students (Masters (MA)/PhD) studying at a graduate school of educational sciences on mother tongue education and the applicability of mother tongue education in Turkey. The study was conducted with a total of 46 students, 28 MA and 18 PhD students. The data were gathered through semi-structured open-ended questions in November 2017. According to the findings, most of the participants viewed mother tongue education as one of the basic human rights. Moreover, while some of the participants thought that the country was not yet ready to provide education to non-official minorities or local communities in their mother tongues, some objected to mother tongue education with the concern that it would cause division within the country. Key words: Education, minorities, mother tongue, right to education, human rights.
Highlights
The Republic of Turkey (TR) is a unitary state run in accordance with the principal of central government
According to the participants who believed that mother tongue education was a basic human right, education is a concept that has a universal value, and is a human right
Citizens belonging to minorities or local communities should be provided with education in their mother tongue in state schools if they request it
Summary
The Republic of Turkey (TR) is a unitary state run in accordance with the principal of central government. Turkey is a country in which many ethnic groups including the Kurdish, Laz, Circassian, Arab, Greek, Armenian, and Jewish live alongside the Turkish majority, and a variety of languages are spoken. On the other hand, according to the constitution of the TR (1982, Art 42), “no language other than Turkish can be taught to Turkish citizens as their mother tongue in educational institutions.”. In this respect, mother tongue education, which represents an important problem in the country, is discussed at various levels in terms of the administrative structure, strengthening of democracy, human rights, decentralisation policies, citizen demands, and local languages being taught as elective courses in schools.
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