The effect of foreign language instruction on education, culture, and thought were discussed at a workshop held at IZU. At the workshop, which was attended by Deputy Minister of National Education Dr. Ömer Faruk Yelkenci, 24th Term AK Party Istanbul Deputy and President of the Turkish Language and Literature Association Ekrem Erdem, IZU Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük, and Provincial Director of National Education Associate Prof. Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür, experts evaluated the importance of mother tongue education, the relationship between language and identity, and Türkiye’s language policy in education.
The effects of foreign language instruction on the worlds of education, culture, and thought were discussed at the “Foreign Language Instruction: Findings, Evaluations, and Recommendations Workshop,” organized in collaboration with the Turkish Language and Literature Association and Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. The workshop, held at the Abdullah Tivnikli Conference Hall, was attended by Deputy Minister of National Education Dr. Ömer Faruk Yelkenci, 24th Term AK Party Istanbul Deputy and President of the Turkish Language and Literature Association Ekrem Erdem, IZU Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Erhan İçener and Prof. Dr. Nihat Erdoğmuş, Provincial Director of National Education Associate Prof. Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür, IZU Secretary General Dr. Fatih Hasdemir, former IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar, as well as academics and students.
KÜÇÜK: “LANGUAGE IS THE CARRIER OF IDENTITY AND CULTURE”
In his opening speech at the workshop, IZU Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük emphasized that language is the carrier of identity and culture. Referring to practices in different countries regarding foreign language instruction, Küçük underlined that language preference in education policy is an important and strategic choice. Saying, “In Gulf countries, foreign languages have surpassed Arabic. We are faced with a situation where previous generations communicate with their grandchildren in English,” Küçük also reminded the audience that nearly 90 percent of undergraduate education in Germany is conducted in German. Küçük stated, “What kind of policy will we determine as a country? I believe this workshop will make a significant contribution to this discussion.”
ERDEM: “WITHOUT A MOTHER TONGUE, THOUGHT CANNOT TAKE SHAPE”
President of the Turkish Language and Literature Association Ekrem Erdem stated that foreign language instruction is not merely an educational debate but directly concerns national existence. He noted that education in a foreign language is legitimized through global competition and career opportunities. Emphasizing that mother tongue education increases the capacity to think and produce, Erdem underlined that without a mother tongue, thought cannot take shape, and stated that the alienation of the language of instruction weakens students’ abilities to comprehend and analyze knowledge. Saying, “The development of a language is directly related to the amount of qualified texts produced in that language,” Erdem drew attention to the serious consequences that would arise from the weakening use of Turkish in academia.
YELKENCİ: “THE LANGUAGE OF EDUCATION IS A STRATEGIC DECISION”
Deputy Minister of National Education Dr. Ömer Faruk Yelkenci, in his speech addressing the historical course of foreign language education, stated that Westernization policies and individuals’ efforts to open up to the world played an important role in the rapid spread of foreign language education in the 19th century. Stressing that foreign language instruction and foreign language teaching should be distinguished from one another, Yelkenci said, “As long as these two are not separated, the problem will continue.” Stating that they adopted this distinction in the Türkiye Century Education Model, Yelkenci said they embraced the approach of “Let us teach foreign languages, but preserve our culture and free the system from external dependency.” Emphasizing that the language of education is not merely a pedagogical preference, Yelkenci said, “This issue is also a political and strategic national decision,” and highlighted the need to strengthen Turkish as a language of science and thought.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE, IDENTITY, AND POLICY WAS DISCUSSED
During the sessions organized within the scope of the workshop, foreign language instruction was discussed from multiple perspectives. In the first session chaired by Associate Prof. Dr. Orhan Albayrak, Yıldız Technical University faculty member Associate Prof. Dr. Osman Kürşat Yorgancı, Düzce University faculty member Associate Prof. Dr. Kadir Canatan, and Marmara University faculty member Dr. Kamile Hamiloğlu evaluated the relationship between language and thought, students’ identity formation, and international experiences from different perspectives. In the second session chaired by Prof. Dr. Turan Koç, Ankara Social Sciences University faculty member Prof. Dr. Şamil Öçal, Istanbul University faculty member Associate Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yalçın Yılmaz, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa faculty member Prof. Dr. Fatma Bölükbaşı Kaya, and IZU faculty member Associate Prof. Dr. Necmettin Özmen discussed language policies, cultural degeneration, and the social effects of foreign language instruction.
ACAR: “IF YOU DO NOT LIVE AS YOU BELIEVE, YOUR BELIEF WILL EVENTUALLY UNDERGO TRANSFORMATION”
In the closing speech of the workshop, former IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar stated that the cultural change experienced in Türkiye cannot be regarded as an ordinary rupture, but rather as a process with multidimensional and inevitable dynamics. Drawing attention to the fact that cultural transformation is shaped by different reasons, Acar stated that the strong orientation toward foreign languages in society stems from the inability to provide foreign language teaching through sufficient and healthy methods. Highlighting the transformative effects of the spread of foreign language education, Acar emphasized that consistency is decisive in preserving cultural continuity and said, “If you do not live as you believe, your belief will eventually undergo transformation.”