Turkish College Wins Case
Ali Ertugrul Türkeli, the Çag Educational Institution's St. Petersburg representative, stated that the ruling strengthened their belief in Russia's judicial mechanisms. The return of the teachers to the school has most cheered the Russian students at the school and their parents.
Mariya Baranova, the parent of a student at the school, went to the courthouse to follow the last hearing and support the school. She says she is very pleased with the ruling: "My daughter used to go to school with such great excitement when her Turkish teachers were there that we didn't even have to check her homework. We are very happy, as education will be resumed at the school," she noted.
Eleventh grader Leonid Sergeev is also very excited at the prospect of being reunited with his teachers. "They were always ready to spare time for me. The great contribution of this school and its teachers to my education is undeniable," he said.
The Russian-Turkish College, founded by the Çag Educational Institution with the approval of the Krasnagovardeyski Education Committee, began its activities in St. Petersburg in 1995. On May 31, 2007 the St. Petersburg Education Committee - a high educational body — unilaterally decided to expel Çag and the local Krasnagovardeyski committee from the board of founding members and declared itself the sole authority over the school, without presenting any legal justification. After this move, the Turkish institution appealed to the administrative court, and its founding rights were restored with a ruling handed down on March 25, 2008. The education committee referred the case to the 13th Appeals Court for a reversal of the lower court's decision. The appeals court announced its verdict on July 1, upholding the ruling of the administrative court. The 13th Appeals Court also canceled all the bylaws made by the educational committee in the absence of the Turkish entrepreneurs and returned the school's license, which had been revoked on May 31, 2007 by the Moscow Federal Inspection Board on the grounds that the Turkish teachers did not have diplomas, visas and work permits; that they were using textbooks brought from Turkey; that their workload was not in compliance with the standards set by the Russian Health Ministry; that the food stored in school refrigerators did not meet ministry criteria; and that the school violated fire safety rules.
The 13th Court of Appeals ruled that the grounds on which the school's license had been revoked were unsubstantiated. The following are excerpts from the court's final verdict:
1. The report on which was the revocation was based only lists the first names of the teachers who allegedly did not have diplomas. However, documents provided by the Çag Educational Institution clearly show that all teachers employed by the school have the required academic credentials and that their diplomas are recognized by the relevant Russian authorities.
2. All textbooks used in the school comply with the standards of the Russian Federation's educational curriculum. The education committee failed to present any documents to substantiate its claims; instead, it based its claims on a statement by an anonymous student.
3. The teachers' workload meets standards set by the Health Ministry.
4. The Turkish teachers' visas and residence permits comply with Russian law. An investigation into the claims has proven that they comply with Law 115, dated July 25, 2002, which regulates work permits of foreigners in Russia.
5. The duty of inspecting food stored on the school's premises is not within the power of the education committee. The St. Petersburg Health Directorate conducted the requested inspections of the school on the dates listed in the report and presented its results to the court. The results noted that the school abided by all health regulations.
6. The St. Petersburg Fire Department is responsible for fire safety. A report, the result of a number of inspections by the fire department, proves that the school meets fire safety standards; the report has been submitted to the court.
'Our school is praised by both Russians and Turks'
Türkeli, the Çag Educational Institution's St. Petersburg representative, said they were happy the school will resume operation after a one-year interruption. "The decision has strengthened our conviction that the judicial system functions properly in Russia. Our Russian students and their parents, too, were happy with the decision. During the litigation process, our friends in educational circles and the students and their parents continually lent their support to us. We are thankful to them," he said.
Türkeli noted that the school has over the last 12 years made significant contributions to Russian-Turkish friendship. "We work here to maintain this friendship. We were not expecting the court to decide otherwise. Our school is well liked by both Russians and Turks. Last year St. Petersburg Mayor Valentina Matviyenko presented medals to the Turkish founders of the school for their contributions to education in St. Petersburg. In a short period of time our school has emerged as one of the pioneers in its field. We have won dozens of medals in competitions of English, physics, mathematics and other fields in both the Russian Federation and internationally," he noted.
Russian parents: We missed Turkish teachers
Students of the school and their parents were delighted by the court's decision. "I am very happy. The educational standards established by the Russian and Turkish teachers are advantageous for our children. They learn English and Turkish well. This gives them extra skills," Anna Dzenutka, a student's mother, said. Mariya Baranova, who had closely monitored the litigation process, pointed out that Turkish teachers know how to motivate their students. "I don't know how they do this, but my daughter would go to school with obvious enthusiasm when Turkish teachers were giving lessons. We would not feel the need to do extra homework at home. This year, we unfortunately suffered from regression. Now we are happy that the educational quality will increase again," she said.
Tatyana Çistilova, who had worked as a director at the Russian-Turkish school, said she was happy about the court's ruling. "The cultural harmony established between Russian and Turkish teachers helps students to develop a sense of tolerance toward diverse cultures. It is easy to disrupt an existing system. But it is considerably harder to build one," she argued.
Noting that he had many good memories with Turkish teachers, 11th grader Sergeev said: "In this school, I had good friendships. My teachers were not annoyed when they devoted their time to me. We would hold nice programs together. The role of this school and these teachers in my education cannot be denied." Another student, Viktor Kipnis, said he missed the Turkish teachers over the last year. "They treated us as their friends. We established very good friendships at this school. Even during holidays, we frequently meet with our friends. I was shocked to learn that the Turkish teachers had left the school. I remember I would talk to my friends on the phone for hours. For this reason all of my friends were delighted with the court decision," he said. (Faruk Akkan, St. Petersburg)
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