Elite French schools in Turkey threatened by political spat

Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in Ankara. Source

İSTANBUL — On July 12, the French Cultural Attaché to Turkey sent an email to the parents of students attending two elite French private schools in the country, the Lycée Charles de Gaulle in Ankara and Lycée Pierre Loti in İstanbul.

The email announced a breakdown in negotiations with the Turkish Ministry of Education and an impending ban on Turkish students — including dual citizens — from attending both institutions for the 2024-2025 school year.

Ten days earlier, the ministry had sent a verbal note stating that Turkish students' attendance to the schools would not only be banned, but that they would also be transferred to Turkish schools unless certain conditions were met.

Many parents did not have prior knowledge of the ongoing discussions, so the news hit hard and unexpectedly. It came amid summer break marked by tensions. There was radio silence from the school managers, the consulate, the embassy and even the parents’ associations.

In response, the parents soon established WhatsApp groups to share information, but rather than informing one another, the chats quickly became echo chambers for anxious parents trying to understand what they were facing.

Then, on Aug. 10, the Turkish Education Ministry issued a more optimistic statement, announcing both parties had agreed to cooperate on a comprehensive education plan.

This tied the fate of French schools in Turkey to a set of pending negotiations that included parameters for the “Turkish" education of Turkish students living in France. The goal was to finalize negotiations quickly with a deadline of January 2025.

In the meantime, the French schools in Turkey re-opened for this year’s fall semester under new guidelines. Negotiations continue and the uncertainty is deeply concerning for parents, as neither French nor Turkish authorities interviewed by Turkey recap expressed confidence that the other side is committed to reaching a resolution.

More broadly, the education spat underlines ongoing tensions in Ankara-Paris ties. Sources close to the matter said the issue would not have devolved to its current level under different circumstances.

“This issue has been simmering for years,” Didier Billon, deputy director of the Institute of International Relations and Strategies (IRIS), told Turkey recap. “Many French ambassadors, some of whom I consider friends, have told me it could explode at any moment.” 

“I think it is the expression of the deterioration of bilateral relations between France and Turkey,” he added.

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