National Education Minister Celik Leaves For Athens

ANKARA - National Education Minister Huseyin Celik left on Monday for Greek capital Athens to attend the 21st Conference of Education Ministers of Council of Europe.
Addressing journalists at Ankara's Esenboga Airport prior to his departure, Celik said that issues such as ''Intercultural Education'', ''Management of Differences'', ''Strengthening Democracy'', ''List of Courses in Education'', ''School Management'' and ''Training of Teachers'' would be taken up during the two-day conference.
Celik told reporters, ''round-tables will be held during the conference to discuss the issue of taking into consideration cultural diversity in list of courses, school management and training of teachers. Greek education minister, education minister of Poland, which hosted the previous conference, and I, on behalf of Turkey, the host of the next conference, will preside these round-tables.''
''On the last day of the conference, education ministers will release a joint declaration for inclusion of intercultural and interreligious dimensions in education programs of member countries and in action program of the Council of Europe. Also, several decisions are expected to be taken about integration of new information and communication technologies in education systems,'' he said.
Recalling that the next conference would be held in Turkey in 2006, Celik said, ''also, Istanbul will host the Third Unofficial Conference of Southeast European Education Ministers next year. The conference will focus on training of teachers.''
Noting that he would have the opportunity of holding a bilateral meeting with his Greek counterpart, Celik told reporters, ''mutual exclusion of expressions of hatred and enmity in Turkish and Greek school books, and problems of Turkish and Greek minorities in the two countries in education will be taken up in detail at the meeting.''
He added that he would attend a conference at the Athens University on ''Cultural Diversity and Prevention of Conflicts'' as speaker.
Celik is expected to return to Turkey on November 13.
(UK-AÖ) 10.11.2003