The worries of the youth, the worries of the Minister...

Turkey has recently been under a barrage of dark agendas. On one hand, there are babies being tortured and murdered for a pittance (!) in their cribs; on the other, lieutenants being accused of indiscipline for taking an oath saying "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal"; and elsewhere, the irresponsible statements made by the Minister of National Education of our country, whose youth are searching for ways to go abroad to save their lives and receive a good education... No matter which topic we touch upon, it falls apart in our hands; no matter which side we look at, everything is crumbling...

While it is expected that Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin should aim to raise the level of education in our country, his rhetoric-filled speech on secularism once again reveals that there is nothing left to expect from the current government. It is unacceptable that the minister, while no progress has been made regarding the news that has been coming one after another about the hygiene problems in schools just 15 days ago, and while planned projects for providing at least one meal a day to students in schools cannot be advanced, resorts to the black propaganda of "turning mosques into stables" to target secularism.

While we are on the subject of free meals, let us remind you again: In the 2022-2023 academic year, it was announced that a free meal program would be implemented for 5 million students as of February 6. What happened to that? Free meals are every student's right... It was said that this would be provided. Was it provided? No. So why was this project suspended? According to data released by TUIK in 2023, the rate of those at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the 0-17 age group is 40.1 percent. According to data released by the EU Statistical Office, Eurostat, in 2022, this rate is 45.2 percent in Turkey. Turkey has the highest rate among 29 countries. With the situation like this, shouldn't the minister be concerned about this first?

It is a pity, a great pity... In such an environment of high inflation, with poverty having increased to this extent, and with five children dying in the middle of a major city due to deprivation and neglect, it is unacceptable that his concern is secularism.

And what about the state of education? The results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on a country-by-country basis, are announced every 3 years. According to the PISA scores announced most recently in 2022, it was determined that Turkey scored 453 points in mathematics, remaining below the OECD average of 472 points. Furthermore, the same report observed that as the rate of skipping meals increases, mathematics scores decrease. When calculating the percentage of students who have not eaten at least once a week in the last 30 days because they did not have enough money, it is seen that Turkey, with 19.3 percent, is well above the OECD average of 8.2 percent. For instance, it is unacceptable that they do not worry about this but worry about secularism.

Additionally, the same report observed that 44 percent of students in Turkey are not satisfied with their lives. This rate has increased by 10 points compared to 2018. 10 points is no small matter! The youth are unhappy... They are not worried about this either, are they? It is a great pity...

And what about brain drain? Are they also not worried that the majority of graduates from schools such as Istanbul High School, Galatasaray High School, Robert College, and the German High School, whose percentile rankings range between 0.1 and 5, want to study at universities abroad? This brain drain means that one day, the brightest doctors, engineers, and scientists will work in other countries and add value to other countries. Forget the Minister of National Education; every patriotic citizen worries about this and is devastated. But where is that...

The bones of our legendary Minister of National Education, Hasan Ali Yücel, are aching. We could not protect his legacy. It is a pity for our future, for our youth...

https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2023/11/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_2fca04b9/turkiye_5a6863b0/d67e6c05-en.pdf