Ministry: Teach Turkish? Show us the money
Educators and politicians debate whether offering students Turkish as a foreign language is bad for integration or good for business
Cultural arguments are not sufficient to elevating a language's educational status, the Education Ministry says (File photo: Scanpix)
A school’s application to offer the foreign language of Denmark’s largest immigrant group as part of its core curriculum has spurred a debate over culture versus capitalism.
A majority of the students at Københavns Private Gymnasium (KPG) have Turkish roots and a strong interest in improving their ability to speak, read and write Turkish. That is a good enough reason, according Crilles Bacher, KPG’s headmaster, to offer it as an official second foreign language – not just an elective course, as it is now offered. But first KPG needs a special dispensation from the Education Ministry – and the ministry has declined their request, reports Altinget.dk.
