What is the point of changing the 'curriculum' without solving child poverty?

The Ministry of National Education's Turkey Century Education Model, which was shared with the public with a very short window for criticism and evaluation, has been lost among the polemics of the Özel-Erdoğan meeting. While our media was distracted by the subtext of this meeting, the 10-day period granted by the Ministry for the review of the new curriculum has come to an end!

Yet, the proposed curriculum change is Turkey's most critical issue. It is far more important than constitutional amendments.

The instruction hours for Turkish, philosophy, history, physics, biology, and chemistry have been kept equal to the total duration of religious education. A very intensive curriculum has been prepared for the Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge course. Kemal Irmak, Chairman of the Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen), who examined the Turkey Century Education Model, observes: "Religious education is being provided at a level almost sufficient to go on a pilgrimage."

Kemal Irmak states that much of the content related to scientific education in the teaching programs has been carefully filtered out.

Many educators who have examined the new curriculum draft state that the education model has been prepared with the aim of raising robot-like and soulless generations that do not think, question, criticize, object, or interpret. It is not just Eğitim-Sen; many non-governmental organizations and numerous educators share the same view.

I examined the Preschool Education Program of the new curriculum. I wrote about it at length in my column last week. The model has been prepared based on "Virtue-Value-Action."

What is the point of providing values education to a child who is not fed?

I would like to share an important finding from the Child Rights and Welfare Symposium organized by the Turkish Association of University Women, Antalya Branch, on April 25-26. The data reveals that the new education curriculum should be addressed in the context of "Child Poverty."

According to the 2023 monetary poverty measurement data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the rate of poor children in Turkey is 31.3%! This data indicates that 7 million children in Turkey (1 in every 3 children) are living in poverty.

Fulya Sarvan, President of the Turkish Association of University Women, Antalya Branch, says: "As you move from the west to the east of Turkey, the multidimensional consequences of poverty emerge. Child poverty must be addressed with comprehensive policies that are urgent and mobilization-oriented, and child poverty must be seen as one of the most critical violations of children's rights."

In this context, the priority step, before the new curriculum, should be to provide one meal of healthy school food and clean, drinkable water to children in public schools!

Sustainable education policies that protect the constitutional right to "equality of opportunity in education" must be developed for every child living within the borders of the Republic of Turkey, from the far east to the far west of the country.

The deep poverty being experienced has also struck children. At a time when one in every three children cannot meet their basic needs such as health, food, clothing, and shelter, it is more important to feed the children before changing the curriculum.

What is the point of changing the curriculum without solving child poverty?