We only talk about instruction when we say 'education'

Minister Tekin's new curriculum, announced under the name "Century of Turkey Education Model," has sparked controversy. Many fronts have opened up, such as what the course loads should be, the shaping of secularism principles, the weight of religious courses, and whether or not to include various literacies. 

It seems we agree on indoctrination—or let's put it more bluntly, brainwashing—but we disagree on which detergent to use. We are fighting tooth and nail over which convictions should be instilled in students. 

The Ministry of National Education (MEB) is also primarily preoccupied with this. It doesn't mean they don't occasionally ask which "skills" we should help them acquire. But unfortunately, we cannot see a practice from the MEB that is consistent with the suggestions and promises in their texts. The things the MEB desires are things we all desire: for children to be able to think critically, perceive daily life, be scientifically literate, be financially literate, grasp natural phenomena, express themselves correctly, and so on. 

So, how will we achieve these? Through the anxious concerns of parents who are not at all interested in these things, through teachers who do not care much about them being forced to repeat the MEB's course materials like parrots, and through the constant application of multiple-choice tests? 

By making children sit in rows and chairs for 40-50 minutes with 10-minute breaks? By having them all record what is written on the board into their notebooks? By forcing teachers who graduated from some of Turkey's lowest-scoring departments, who are not allowed to pursue their dream professions, who cannot even live on a subsistence wage, who have no autonomy in the classroom, and whose only perceived advantage—their annual leave—is an eyesore to everyone? Are they going to provide education in semi-open prisons, where students are forced to attend so that their parents can participate in the workforce and they themselves cannot participate in the workforce for a while, to people who do not want to learn anything, taught by teachers who are not in a position to know much themselves? 

We must separate education from instruction. We must put concepts in their proper place. Today, schools are not a cradle of education. Schools are perhaps a cram school, perhaps a semi-open prison, perhaps a social club... But they are definitely not the desired cradle of education. Moreover, this is not new. The author of these lines graduated from a high school where teachers taught English without knowing English, where ultra-nationalist gangs roamed freely, where the gym, library, music room, and laboratories were closed to students, and whose only goal was for students not to be leftists and to pass the university entrance exam. We are a bit worse off now. Turkish is no longer known either; the ultra-nationalist gangs are not alone; drug gangs and religious sects accompany them; if you left the students alone, they wouldn't be leftists anyway; and even if they pass the university entrance exam, it doesn't mean much anymore. 

If we grasp education correctly, we will understand that this is not just the job of the MEB. If we understand education as a person knowing and transforming themselves, their environment, and their society; being able to adapt to their era; discovering and developing their skills; and becoming an individual and a citizen, then we can see that the Ministry of Justice, the Police Department, the Ministry of Health, the legal system in general, the media, and the tax system are more decisive than the MEB. We can also understand that the economy, likewise, educates people. Where the future cannot be predicted, there is no trust in the future, and no investment is made. Nothing is learned because it might be useful in the future; no savings are made because one might take meaningful steps in the future. Hedonism and nihilism win. In the end, everyone is unhappy. This is what is happening today. 

Our secularists should rest easy. The AKP government has been trying to create a religious generation for years. It has not succeeded, and it will not succeed. Someone else tried to create a desirable citizen before, and they did not succeed. They could not succeed. As long as the focus is on the curriculum, this will not be achieved. You can add as many religious courses as you want, it will not work. Fortunately, the youth do not understand what they read and cannot express what they think. Let us not forget, Turkey is probably the geography where the most "Fatiha" prayers are recited. And I think this is the country furthest from the straight path (Sirat-ı Müstakim). 

With the centralized education system, the current classroom structure, and the approach to teaching, I have full confidence in the MEB. Whatever it has targeted, it will not succeed. All that effort, money, and time will be wasted. 

Do you want to educate the public? Let the public be able to get a doctor's appointment early and receive treatment, let cases be heard quickly and effectively when they are wronged, let them watch the correct news in the media and see that lies are exposed, let the Turkish Lira be valuable, let them walk safely on the streets, let tax justice be ensured, let the budget be held accountable, let those who govern be held accountable, let profiteers, usurers, and owners of dirty money not dominate the economy, and let those who produce earn. Then there will be no need for any other education. Then we can be more selective in course content. As it stands, who should read what and why?