Turkish union slams education ministry regulation, citing threat to secularism

A new regulation by Turkey's Ministry of National Education has ignited controversy, with the Eğitim-İş union leading the charge against its perceived threat to educational unity. The union's primary concern centers on Article 21 of the regulation, which introduces the concept of "primary schools implementing different programs."

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The phrase 'primary schools implementing different programs' in Article 21 creates a significant break. The notion of 'primary schools implementing different programs' at the first stage of compulsory education is incompatible with the common, secular, and scientific education system envisioned by the Tevhid-i Tedrisat Law.

Eğitim-İş argues that this provision fundamentally clashes with the principle of common, secular, and scientific education established by the Tevhid-i Tedrisat Law. The union points out that the regulation fails to specify the criteria for selecting these schools or the programs they would implement, raising concerns that it could pave the way for the proliferation of diverse educational models. The union intends to pursue legal action to annul the provisions it deems unlawful.

Beyond the specific concerns about Article 21, the union criticizes the regulation for failing to address critical systemic issues. These include a significant teacher shortage, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of guidance counselors and support staff, insufficient enrollment capacity in preschool education, and inadequate school security measures. "Ensuring school security is the state's responsibility," the union stated, emphasizing that effective solutions require addressing the root causes of violence through educational policies, rather than relying solely on security checks.

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Ensuring school security is the state's responsibility. The increasing violence in schools recently necessitates effective and lasting measures. However, security cannot be achieved solely through search measures.

The union also highlighted that the regulation imposes new bureaucratic burdens on teachers without alleviating their workload. Furthermore, many provisions are left vague, deferring details to "procedures and principles to be determined by the Ministry," creating uncertainty. The changes to elective courses are also criticized, as allowing school administrations to determine courses not chosen by students could effectively negate the right to choose. Eğitim-İş asserts that the Ministry's priority should be resolving structural problems in the education system, not merely regulating school operations. They advocate for secular, scientific, and public education policies that guarantee equal educational rights for all children, rather than dividing them through varied programs.

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It is not about differentiating children with different programs, but about implementing secular, scientific, and public education policies that guarantee the equal right to education for every child.