The project school issue...

This week, the Ministry of National Education (MEB) agenda has been shaken by project schools. Schools that were surprisingly removed from the project school status, administrators who are disappointed because their applications have not been finalized despite preferences being collected, and bureaucrats who failed to manage the process with transparency...

As is known, the current system was brought to the agenda during the undersecretariat period of Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, with the aim of designating schools and institutions that carry out national or international projects, established within the framework of cooperation agreements with domestic or foreign institutions and organizations or other countries, as well as schools implementing specific educational reforms and programs, as project schools. The establishment of Science High Schools, Sports High Schools, Fine Arts High Schools, and even Gastronomy High Schools was targeted. In this context, the procedures and principles were determined by the regulation dated September 1, 2016. The initial regulation aimed to recruit qualified teachers and administrators in their fields. But was this really implemented?..

In fact, the system, which was maintained in accordance with its original purpose until 2018, seems to have deviated from its goal during the terms of the two subsequent ministers. Unfortunately, this area has also had its share of politics interfering in every field in Turkey. Every deputy and every minister, thinking they were serving their own high school alma mater or their province, somehow had schools included in the project school scope based entirely on political motives! Of course, they didn't stop there. They even had principals appointed who did not comply with the regulations! While the regulation states that 'Principals of Science High Schools are selected from among teachers in the fields of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology,' Literature graduates were appointed as principals to Science High Schools. And the principal then brought the teachers they were directed to into their school... 

As this field gained popularity, while the initial target for project schools was 2% or 3%, this rate has climbed to 17%.

So, what is happening now?

In reality, the goal is to return project schools to their original purpose and ensure meritocracy within the framework of the regulation issued in 2016. However, as always, the Ministry of National Education (MEB) is experiencing a communication breakdown while doing so. They set out with a correct objective but are causing confusion and chaos. Parents of LGS students, seeing the phrase "Project schools closed" in news headlines, are becoming anxious with little time left before the exam. It is clear that the MEB needs to issue a transparent and explanatory press release as soon as possible. Because in our country, how clearly you explain what you are doing is just as important as what you are actually doing. Especially when the segment you are addressing touches every single family...