Development of modern language teaching in Turkey

Recommendation 594 (1970)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 26January 1970 (21st Sitting) (see Doc.2630, report of the Committee on Culture andEducation). Text adopted by the Assembly on26 January 1970 (21st Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Recalling that itsRecommendation 535 (1968) and Resolution 379 (1968) on the promotion of modernlanguage teaching in Europe, and the recommendation of the Council for CulturalCo-operation (CCC) on the same subject, have been supported by the adoption ofResolution (69) 2 of the Committee of Ministers ;

2. Considering thatthe efforts required in Europe in promoting modern language teaching should beprimarily directed to countries which are less fortunate in this respect;

3. Taking account of the information supplied by the competentTurkish authorities on the occasion of the visit to Turkey in July 1968 of theCommittee on Culture and Education, and taking account of the memorandumsubsequently presented by the Turkish Education Board ;

4. Noting thesatisfactory results of the pilot project of the Council for CulturalCooperation for the training of 100 Turkish teachers, and noting also thearrangements already made by the CCC in the spirit of this recommendation;

5. Welcoming the creation in Ankara of a Modern Language TeachingCentre and being anxious that this Centre should receive the support of themember states of the Council of Europe ;

6. Being of the opinion,however, that it is desirable to proceed beyond the experimental stage andembark upon a programme of multilateral and bilateral action in depth, with theaim of providing Turkey with assistance more adequate to the urgent andpressing needs of that country in the field of modern language teaching;

7. Considering, moreover, that modern language teaching, in theframework both of traditional schooling and of out-of-school education, is adetermining factor in the economic, social and cultural development of Turkey,and consequently in her prospects of further and easier integration in thecommunity of member states of the Council of Europe,

8. Recommendsthat the Committee of Ministers :

a adopt aCouncil of Europe plan for the development of modern languages in Turkey whichshould, in particular, be synchronised with the Turkish five-year plan, andwhich would have as its principal elements :

• the creation of modern teaching facilities ;
• therenewal of modern language teaching methods ;
• theintroduction of audio-visual aids in the teaching of modern languages;
• the modernisation of modern language teacher training;
• the in-service training and further training of modernlanguage teachers ;

b instruct the CCC andits standing committees to draw up and implement such a plan ;

c invite the governments of the member states to intensify theirbilateral cooperation with Turkey in the field of modern language teaching, inparticular by sending experts and awarding grants to teachers, and also toadministrators responsible for the implementation of the plan, who, on theirreturn, may contribute to an increase in the number of teacherstraining.