Transfer of teachers trigger protests at Turkish schools – Diepresse.com
In Turkey, the transfer of thousands of teachers caused sharp criticism.
The Egitim-Is education union spoke on Wednesday of arbitrariness on the part of the Ministry of Education. According to the minister’s will, positions would not be awarded according to qualification, said Kadem Özbay from Egitim-Is. Students and oppositioners accuse the government of wanting to eliminate voices critical of government. The government denies a political background.
According to the Ministry of Education, the “term” of 20 percent of a total of 38,000 teachers at so -called state project schools – including partially renowned high schools – was not extended. According to the union, there are longstanding members in teaching staff, which would be placed to other schools without justification. In Turkey, criticism of the role of the government in the education system has long been growing. A common accusation is that the Islamic-Conservative government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to idee education in its sense.
People followed « ridiculous calls »
At affected schools in Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Izmir and other cities, students have been protesting against the transfers for several days. Education Minister Yusuf Tekin spoke of incidents at around 20 schools on Monday, where people followed « ridiculously call ».
According to the Egitim-Sen union, those affected are transferred to other schools, but behind it is the government’s attempt to accommodate teachers and unions in certain schools. (APA)
