Turkish Union Slams Education Ministry Circular for Increased Teacher Oversight

Ankara, Turkey – The Eğitim-İş union has strongly criticized a new circular issued by the Ministry of National Education (MEB) for the 2026-2027 academic year, arguing it prioritizes increased teacher oversight over solving the fundamental issues plaguing the education system. The union contends that the circular, numbered 2026/70, aims to tighten control over educators rather than provide solutions to chronic educational challenges.

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The circular... is the product of an understanding that tries to establish an intervention and supervision system that extends from the teacher's apron to their phone, from their meetings with parents to the digital platform they will use, from the school where they will work to the field where they will perform their duty, instead of solving the impoverishment of teachers, the staff shortage in schools, crowded classes, the shortage of teachers, the shame of paid teaching, inequality in education, and the increasingly heavy working conditions.

Eğitim-İş stated that the circular reflects an approach that stifles diversity and originality in education, pushing for a standardized model for both teachers and students. Instead of addressing systemic problems like teacher poverty, staff shortages in schools, overcrowded classrooms, and educational inequality, the ministry is reportedly imposing new burdens on teachers and students. The union highlighted that the circular dictates various aspects of a teacher's professional life, from their attire and phone usage to parent communication and digital platform utilization.

The union pointed to the pervasive use of terms like 'uncompromising,' 'mandatory,' 'without exception,' and 'immediately' within the circular. These phrases, Eğitim-İş argues, demonstrate the ministry's departure from a collaborative approach to managing the education sector. They assert that education is not a mechanical process governed by a strict chain of command.

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Education is not a mechanical activity to be carried out within a chain of command. A teacher is not an instruction officer obligated to implement every new policy of the Ministry without question.

"A teacher is not an instruction officer of the Ministry," Eğitim-İş declared in its statement. The union vowed to resist any attempts to circumvent existing laws through circulars, restrict teachers' professional autonomy via administrative orders, undermine teachers' dignity, or turn schools into arenas for current political agendas. They advocate for a system that respects educators and addresses the core structural problems within Turkish education.

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As Eğitim-İş, we will not remain silent to any initiative aimed at circumventing the law through circulars, narrowing the professional autonomy of the teacher with administrative instructions, discrediting the teacher, and turning schools into areas of application for current political policies.