What the Ministry of National Education has left for after the elections...

The Ministry of National Education (MEB) has yet to make an announcement on two issues that were expected to be clarified much earlier. I believe the reason for this delay is the approaching elections. It is my opinion that the MEB does not want to take any risks by making statements on these two important issues before the elections. I suspect that announcing these matters after the elections is more convenient for the MEB.

So, what are these two issues left for after the elections? The first is the curriculum. Since almost the beginning of the academic year, the Minister of National Education has been saying that the curriculum would change and that these changes would be announced in the near future. Yet, even though the month of March is coming to an end, there is still no announcement. Although some information was leaked to the public a few weeks ago, the ministry subsequently returned to silence.

I think the curriculum is being left for after the elections because announcing it beforehand would cause controversy. The leaked curriculum changes immediately drew criticism; frankly, this delay will be to the MEB's advantage. I want to look at this delay from a positive perspective; I hope Minister Yusuf Tekin has seen the shortcomings of the curriculum presented to him and that a revision process is underway. Because a curriculum change is very important, and if mistakes are made, unfortunately, generations are negatively affected. In other words, it is better to be late than sorry, as long as a good curriculum that meets the needs emerges.

The other issue that the MEB has most likely left for after the elections is the teacher appointment calendar. Naturally, the most curious thing here is the number of appointments. Teacher candidates are constantly voicing their demands on social media, but there is still no word from the MEB. The wish of the teacher candidates is for the number of appointments to be at least 68 thousand and for the appointments to be carried out without interviews. If the MEB cannot secure the requested number from the Ministry of Finance in the current economy, it may naturally be waiting until after the elections to avoid criticism regarding the appointment calendar. In this case, the only hope for teacher candidates would be for the President to intervene before the elections and convey the number of appointments to the MEB. Frankly, if the announcement of the appointment calendar drags on until after the elections, unfortunately, an appointment number far below the candidates' demands will be awaiting us.

As can be seen, with two weeks left until the elections, the expected announcements from the MEB regarding two important developments on the education agenda have not yet arrived. In this country, April 1st is being awaited for many things. I think the MEB is also waiting for this date to arrive for both the teacher appointment numbers and the curriculum change announcements. In that case, let us say, especially on behalf of the teachers waiting for appointments, may April 1st bring good news.