High Schools to provide EU language passport

[Harold F. Schiffman]

High Schools to Provide EU Language Passport

High School principles will issue "language passports" to students next
year. The Language Passport will apply in 2005 in schools across Europe
according to an agreement signed by the education ministers of European
Commission member countries. From now on, anyone who wants to work and
live in a European Country will need a language passport. People who are
not fluent in the foreign country they wish to work will not be given a
work or residential permit. After it is enforced, restrictions will be
implemented. Ozcan Demirel, the Turkish coordinator of the National
Education Ministry of European Language Development File Project and a
professor at Hacettepe University Professor said yesterday that students
are required to take a language test to determine whether they are
eligible for the passport.  Their eligibility will be determined by their
score.

Demirel said that 28 countries completed the study. "Other countries
continue their studies. In order to spread the implementation across
Europe, all member states should fulfill their responsibilities. Turkey
did its homework on the studies and took its place among the first 10
countries." He also added that pilot studies were implemented in K-12
schools in Ankara and Antalya for the project's implementation. Demirel
said that 11 separate languages, instead of one language, are acceptable
in the European passport. European citizens will be required to use at
least three or four languages in the future.

States to implement language passport

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Armenia, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latonia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia Republic, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine and Great Britain.
Approving the European Culture Agreement; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Monaco also participate in the European
Council's activities such as the language passport.


20.11.2004 Tuncer Cetinkaya Istanbul

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=national&alt=&hn=14040

[Note from listowner:  Latonia? (sic?) (hs)]