The number of students registered in the departments of Hebrew and Armenian languages at Kayseri's Erciyes University (ERÜ) has increased this academic year, contrary to concerns that Turkey's currently stormy political relationships with Armenia and Israel would result in decreased interest.
The departments of Hebrew and Armenian were opened at ERÜ last year. The university's assistant rector, Professor Metin Hülagü, told the Anatolia news agency that the departments have seen more interested students this academic year than in their debut year. Last year 12 students were registered in the Department of Hebrew Language and Literature, which is the only one in Turkey, while 28 applied to register in the department this year. The Department of Armenian Language and Literature also saw an increase, with 15 applicants and 12 registered students this year, up from six last year.
“The number of students who wanted to study Hebrew and Armenian increased by more than 100 percent compared to last year. Twenty-eight students applied to the Department of Hebrew Language and Literature this year, and 20 of them were registered. Fifteen students applied to the Department of Armenian Language and Literature, and 12 of them were registered,” Hülagü elaborated.
The professor said he has observed that today's youth appreciate a realistic approach to evaluating world events. “Some thought that students would not be interested in the Hebrew language, due to the recent political and military troubles between Turkey and Israel, or in the Armenian language, because of difficult Turkish-Armenian relations. But we see that this is not the case: our youth are not put off from these topics by day-to-day politics. They can think objectively and see the world realistically. I congratulate those who registered in these departments,” he added.
Professor Hülagü also said that the graduates of the Hebrew and Armenian language departments are not likely to remain unemployed. “The graduates of these departments will able to find jobs easily in both the private and public sectors. Students who study either of these languages can work in the import and export departments of big companies because there are not many people [in Turkey] who can speak these languages, especially Hebrew.”
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