Turkish Parliament Rejects Opposition Motion on Teacher Grievances Amid Protests

Opposition lawmakers in Turkey's parliament have voiced strong criticism regarding the rights and professional challenges faced by teachers. The Republican People's Party (CHP) presented a motion for a parliamentary inquiry into the "loss of rights and professional problems" experienced by teachers in both public and private sectors. However, the motion was ultimately rejected by the General Assembly.

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We don't have to wait for a tragedy. Teachers are taking their own lives due to the mobbing and problems they face. Let's overcome the teachers' issues.

During the parliamentary session, opposition MPs specifically targeted the interview system used in teacher appointments and the demand for a minimum wage for private school educators. They also condemned the police intervention against protesting teachers in Ankara. CHP Istanbul Deputy Suat Özçağdaş presented photographs depicting the forceful arrest of union leaders and the detention of a 78-year-old woman, accusing the government of violating constitutional rights.

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This picture shows the General President of the Private Sector Teachers' Union arrested; below, the General President of Eğitim-SEN, Kemal Irmak, whom you forced to the ground and handcuffed. This elderly woman is 78 years old; you saw her as a security risk and immobilized her. These are images from yesterday in Ankara where you committed constitutional crimes, violating citizens' freedom of travel and their right to walk wearing their union sashes, violating articles 23, 26, and 28 of the Constitution.

Özçağdaş recalled President Erdoğan's pre-election promise to abolish interviews for teacher appointments, criticizing the current Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin, for creating "1,611 interview victims." He noted that even Devlet Bahçeli, a leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), had proposed legislation to address these grievances, but it remained unimplemented. Özçağdaş urged for a swift resolution, stating, "We don't have to wait for a tragedy. Teachers are taking their own lives due to the mobbing and problems they face. Let's overcome the teachers' issues."

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As those who made the promise, after Yusuf Tekin became minister, you shamelessly said, 'We will conduct interviews like interviews,' creating 1,611 interview victims.