Joan Ryan
A North London MP has pressed the Education Secretary on her promise to guarantee the future of Turkish as a GCSE and A level subject.
Joan Ryan, the Labour member for Enfield North, told Nicky Morgan that recent comments in parliament suggested the government’s “cast-iron assurance may no longer apply”.
She called on Ms Morgan to end the uncertainty and to set out immediate steps to secure school qualifications in Turkish.
In later a statement Ms Ryan said: “It would be a very cynical move if the Government backtracks on its pre-election promise and it would be very short-sighted too, given the growing popularity of Turkish qualifications and the thriving Turkish community we have in the UK.
“I want students in Enfield and across the country to have the opportunity to study GSCEs and A levels in this important language and I’ll continue to wholeheartedly support the campaign to protect and promote Turkish qualifications.”
The future of Turkish GCSE and A level qualifications has been in doubt since February, when the OCR examination board announced they would be withdrawn from 2017.
Thousands of people signed a Londra Gazete petition to rescue them, prompting both Labour and the Conservatives during the general election campaign to guarantee the future Turkish as a secondary school subject.
Last week Turkish educationalists told Londra Gazete that they concerned about the lack of progress.
Kelami Dedezade, the head of the Turkish-British Education Consortium, said the exams risked being abolished if the campaign to save them was not taken seriously.
“Everyone needs to see this as an extremely serious issue,” he told Londra Gazete. “As many people as possible should write to their MP, because in this country every single letter is regarded as a vote.”
