AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH EDUCATION MINISTER CELIK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007007

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2013
TAGS: KPAO PREL TU GR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH EDUCATION MINISTER CELIK


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ERIC S. EDELMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B)
& (D).



1. (C) SUMMARY: In the Ambassador,s October 31 courtesy call
on Huseyin Celik, Minister of National Education and a
co-founder of the AK (Justice and Development) Party, Celik
praised the high level of educational cooperation between the
U.S. and Turkey. While characterizing himself as a friend of
the United States, he criticized American foreign policy for
creating and embracing dictators. He spoke only briefly
about the controversial and highly politicized draft law for
higher education reform, but asked for another meeting with
the Ambassador in the near future. END SUMMARY


Challenges in Education
--------------



2. (C) At the outset of the meeting, Minister Celik
characterized as excellent relations between the U.S. and
Turkey in the area of educational exchange. The Ambassador
noted that approximately 12,000 Turkish students are
currently enrolled in U.S. universities, making Turkey our
eighth largest source of international students, above any
other European or predominantly Muslim country. He noted the
successful Fulbright program, with active exchanges in both
directions, and the large English Language Fellows program in
Turkey, which includes a curriculum specialist working at the
Ministry of Education. The Ambassador stressed that Turkey
and the U.S. face the common challenge of educating citizens
to the highest standard in order to compete in the global
economy.



3. (U) Celik said that a $300 million World Bank project
dedicated to restructuring Turkey,s secondary school system
has just been completed, and that a second tranche of $300
million will soon be available to continue these reforms.
Turkey, he added, would like to benefit from good models in
western countries rather than copying the educational systems
of neighboring countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Syria. He
described the emphasis on rote memorization and the lack of
critical thinking as a great weakness in Turkey's current
educational system. In addition, he noted that while at
present 34% of Turkey,s students are in vocational schools
and 66% are in regular schools, this ratio should be
reversed. He said that each year two million Turkish
students wish to enter Turkish universities, but there is
space for just 10% of this number. He said that some of the
approximately 100,000 Turkish students studying abroad, many
elect this course because there is no space for them in
universities at home. If tuition were lower in American
universities, he said, Turkey would send four times as many
students to the U.S.



4. (U) Although the Minister is at the center of a
controversy over higher education reform, he spoke only
briefly about this issue. He said this government,s efforts
to reform the university system mark the first time a
civilian authority in Turkey has taken on this difficult
task. (The previous four major reforms were all undertaken
following military coups.) The Minister argued that the
draft educational law would change the entrance requirements
for universities, creating a level playing field for
graduates of vocational schools and &imam hatip8 high
schools (in addition to the regular state-set core
curriculum, imam hatip schools have courses in theology and
the Koran) who are now penalized in the numerical coefficient
that determines university admissions.



5. (U) The Ambassador contrasted education in the Arab world
and in Turkey by recounting the findings of a recent UNDP
Arab Development Report. Among the factors behind the slow
development of the Arab world are dysfunctional educational
systems, lack of democracy, lack of opportunities for one
half of the population (women),limited penetration of the
Internet, and few venues or means for the free expression and
dissemination of ideas. The Ambassador noted that these
constraints diminish artistic as well as scientific
achievements. While the entire Arab world now produces only
about 1900 literary works in a year, Turkey alone produces a
similar number annually. The Ambassador predicted that as
Turkey moves closer to Europe, the educational gap between
Turkey and the Arab world will further increase.


Dictators, Iraq, and the Halki Seminary
--------------



6. (C) Turning to foreign policy, Minister Celik
characterized himself as a friend of the United States and
said that, as such, he wanted to give the U.S. some friendly
advice. He lamented that too often the U.S., in pursuing its
national interests, has created &Frankensteins8, such as in
Iran and Saudi Arabia. The U.S. motto, he said, seems to be
&my dictator is a good dictator.8 Celik said that on March
1 he voted against Turkey opening a northern front for the
U.S. into Iraq because the U.S. continued to support
Pakistan,s Prime Minister Musharraf after he brutally
suppressed citizens who protested his alliance with
Washington. On the other hand, Celik said that last month he
voted in favor of sending Turkish troops to Iraq because
&Iraq needs peace.8



7. (U) The Ambassador replied that the Minister's point is
one reason that President Bush has stressed the need for more
accountable governments and more transparent economies. He
added that a closed political system with a high unemployment
rate, particularly among young adults, is a recipe for social
explosion.

8. (C) The Minister raised the issue of the Halki Seminary,
emphasizing that while Turkey has made concessions to its
Greek minority, the Greeks have not done the same for the
Turkish minority in Greece. He said that while the problem
of Halki has not yet been settled, it is not insurmountable.
The Ambassador, in turn, emphasized the importance of
resolving the Halki issue prior to President Bush,s visit
next year, especially since the President would probably meet
with the Ecumenical Patriarch. He added that if the school
were forced to move elsewhere, Turkey,s prospects for EU
accession would dim. Celik stressed the problems faced by
the Turkish minority in western Thrace, but repeated that the
opening of Halki would be consistent with democratic
principles. The Ambassador also noted the positive effects
that a resolution would have on Turkey,s relations with the
U.S. and with the influential Orthodox community in
particular.



9. (C) Finally, Celik was critical of tighter visa and
security requirements in the U.S. He complained that on a
recent official trip to the U.S. he was required to remove
his shoes at an airport security check. The Ambassador noted
that Al-Qaeda was still trying to use shoe bombs. Celik
cited the difficulty many Turkish students encounter in
obtaining a visa, saying it is &harder to put a camel
through the eye of a needle8 than it is to obtain a U.S.
visa. At the conclusion of the meeting, Celik expressed his
desire to have a follow-up meeting with the Ambassador at the
Embassy where he could be more &critical8, which we
interpret to mean to speak more openly about the issue of
higher education reform.



10. (C) COMMENT: Celik has tried to reform the
primary/secondary and higher education system, which all but
a tiny fraction of Turks recognize as essential. However,
the general perception is that the present draft law does
little to improve the quality of university education.
Rather the debate has been over who will control higher
education. Furthermore, the legislative drafting and related
public relations campaign has not been handled effectively.
Owing to entrenched opposition, a Halki solution remains more
difficult than Celik has recently implied in public
statements. His remarks to the Ambassador reflect the
probable continuing GOT approach, which will be to seek a
reciprocal step from Greece. END COMMENT.
EDELMAN