The tyranny of compulsory education

Compulsory education in Turkey has two dimensions: 1) One must absolutely attend one of the schools under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education (MEB); 2) These supervised schools must also be compatible with the MEB in terms of curriculum.

The basis of my objection lies in the second point. I received a lot of feedback on my article from last week. I will set aside the positive ones. The central claim of the negative responses is that compulsory education prevents children from joining the workforce (i) and ensures that children who would not have the opportunity to receive an education in the ordinary course of life are able to do so (ii). I largely agree on the issue of the workforce.

A child who is not included in compulsory education is indeed in an unequal position compared to their peers. Because, due to the socioeconomic structure of the family they are born into, while there are those who could receive a very good education without compulsory education, there will also be children who will fall behind on a minimum level of education precisely for this reason.

The other dimension of the problem is more critical. Participating in compulsory education in its current form means entrusting our children to a system determined within the MEB, which is largely at the discretion of political will, but in the most general sense, shaped by the thoughts of the majority of society. It means handing our children over to a semi-open prison that is distant from science, scientific thought, and a non-religious understanding of ethics, is outdated in its methods, and whose only positive function is to keep our children "safe."

Those who have the means are already escaping the MEB's high school program and finding salvation in IB (International Baccalaureate) programs. In this way, it becomes easier for them to pursue university education abroad, and they are also freed from the MEB's outdated and weak program. For example, a student who finishes high school in an IB program has already completed the first year of an engineering class or has already progressed in the practice of in-depth reading and text writing in the field of social sciences. However, in the MEB program, students fall very far behind even in a non-political field like mathematics. Our students are trapped in an education system that is outdated both in terms of subject scope and the way the subject is handled.

Those with the means can also benefit from a different education model at the primary education stage. They can benefit from a more modern education in schools that find a way to pass the MEB inspection. However, here too, image takes precedence. We are faced with philosophy classes that appear modern under the name P4C (philosophy for children) but are often unqualified. Although it is far ahead of the course content offered by the MEB, there is an inequality here as well. Just as there are schools that implement P4C very competently, there are also those who "mess around" under the name "P4C."

Have you ever wondered? Why does everything turn upside down when it enters the MEB's sphere of influence, while our children in preschools that are not affiliated with the MEB benefit from practices that put their counterparts in the West to shame?

In the MEB's sphere of influence, our children are exposed to a terrible understanding of education in a terrible educational climate, alongside religious and political propaganda. The sin of remaining a spectator to this is heavy. These children will grow up, and we will all be devastated together by their wasted years.

Fixing the MEB seems utopian today. Therefore, the goal of establishing schools where the MEB at least does not cast a shadow, and keeping these schools alive, seems more realistic. Moreover, why should a right turn into an obligation? The Constitution recognizes the right of children to receive education. Starting from this, is it fair to us to reach the necessity of not allowing any other understanding of education and sacrificing our children to this understanding?