Backlash against 'Morning Prayer and National Match' event: 'Focus on your own duties'

The organization of an event by the İzmir Provincial Directorate of National Education that combines morning prayer with a National Team match, via a poster sent to schools, has caused controversy in educational circles. The National Education Association issued a harsh statement, stating that the institution has stepped outside its primary area of duty.

SHARED VIA COMMUNICATION GROUPS INSTEAD OF OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE

The visual prepared under the signature of the İzmir Provincial Directorate of National Education, featuring the phrases "Meeting for Morning Prayer, Uniting with the National Team," was shared through school pages and teachers' communication groups. According to the information on the poster, the event will take place at Konak Square on June 14, 2026, at 05:00, and it was announced that soup and boyoz would be served to participants after the morning prayer.

''THERE IS NO SUCH EVENT IN THE NATIONAL EDUCATION'S JOB DESCRIPTION''

The harshest reaction to the organization in question came from the National Education Association. The association's Chairman, Osman Gazi Oktay, emphasized that the event does not serve the purposes of the Ministry of National Education and called on officials to focus on their primary duties.

Drawing attention to the decline in education in İzmir, Oktay included the following statements in his explanation:

"İzmir was our province that achieved first place in university entrance exams for decades, and even in its worst periods, it achieved second or third place. Due to incompetent administrators, it has gradually fallen to rankings near 50th place. The duty of the İzmir Provincial Directorate of National Education should be to bring our İzmir back to the top rankings in university entrance success."

''BUDGET SHOULD BE USED FOR THE BASIC NEEDS OF SCHOOLS''

Stating that the success of the National Team would make the whole country happy, Oktay expressed that such events fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Criticizing the management of the education budget, Oktay pointed to the infrastructure and personnel shortages in schools and concluded his words as follows:

"National sentiments should not be exploited. If such an event is deemed necessary, our Ministry of Youth and Sports and its provincial directorates should organize it. While our schools have needs for service staff, clerks, teachers, and cleaning supplies; and while most of our schools lack soap and toilet paper, it would be more appropriate for the budget to be used for these basic needs instead of such events."

News Source: 12punto