New regulation in Parliament: Green passport for another professional group

A new step has been taken to grant green passport rights to private school teachers, following those already available to public sector teachers. With the legislative proposal submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), it is aimed for teachers working in private educational institutions who meet certain criteria to benefit from the green passport opportunity. The proposal has been placed on the agenda of the TBMM Commission.

According to the prepared regulation, teachers who have provided education in private schools for at least 10 years and who do not have a final conviction for crimes against the security of the state and the constitutional order will be able to benefit from this new right. Thus, it is intended for them to have equal conditions with their colleagues in the public sector.

The proposal was submitted to Parliament by İYİ Party Edirne Deputy Mehmet Akalın. The following statements were used in the proposal:

“Education service is one of the fundamental public services guaranteed by the Constitution. Teachers involved in the execution of this service, whether employed in the public or private sector, implement the same curriculum, bear the same pedagogical responsibilities, and raise the same generations.

In current practice, the right to a special-stamped passport is granted only to teachers with public servant status; teachers working in private educational institutions cannot benefit from this right. However, private school teachers also work under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education and perform educational activities that carry the nature of public service.

This situation creates inequality in terms of personal rights among teachers doing the same job and damages labor peace. Furthermore, it is important for private school teachers to benefit from this right in terms of increasing quality in education, supporting the professional development of teachers, and encouraging international mobility.

With the proposal, while ensuring that special-stamped passports are issued to teachers working in private educational institutions who have completed a certain period of service, it is regulated that individuals with final convictions for certain crimes cannot benefit from this right, taking into account the nature of public service and state security. Thus, it is aimed to make a balanced regulation between the principle of equality and public security.”

How the demand for green passports for private school teachers, which has been on the agenda for years, will be decided following this proposal to be discussed in Parliament will take shape in the coming days.

News Source: 12punto