In capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, six languages including Turkish will be offered as elective courses in seven middle schools affiliated with the Esprit School Group.

Nearly 800 students participated in the program organized with active participation of Amsterdam Yunus Emre Enstitüsü and the Living Language Foundation (Levende Talen) Turkish Department. As part the project supported by Amsterdam Municipality, it is anticipated to form two Turkish classes during the 2017-18 academic year, consisting of students from seven high schools in Amsterdam. Courses will be given by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü lecturers and Enstitü curriculum will be utilized for Turkish instruction.

In the introductory program held on Thursday, April 20^th , sample lessons in Turkish along with Arabic, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Spanish were given, and course materials were introduced.

Yunus Emre Enstitüsü Instructor Ayşegül Sezen Erdinç gave sample lessons to Dutch students and parents and introduced them to Turkish.

In line with national conditions and needs and considering that there is a number of fourth generation Turkish students studying in these schools, an opportunity will be presented to Turkish children to receive Turkish instruction according to their level of education at schools with this project.

If the pilot scheme in Amsterdam succeeds and attracts sufficient interest, the implementation will be extended throughout the Netherlands, particularly in Rotterdam.