CHP calls for a rally against the Maarif Model!

CHP has issued a call for a rally against unappointed teachers, teachers subjected to violence, victims of the interview system, and the new curriculum prepared by the Ministry of National Education (MEB). 

It was announced that the rally will take place on May 18 at 13:00 in Istanbul Saraçhane.

Reminding that there have been 9 different Ministers of National Education during the AKP era, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik said, "Without exception, every new minister has stated that changing the education system is essential, and the curriculum has been changed 18 times, 4 of which were major changes. Education is becoming increasingly unqualified, and our country ranks at the bottom in international tests regarding skills such as reading, mathematics, and science," he said.

Stating that the share allocated to education from the Central Government budget fell from 14.53 percent in 2003 to 9.15 percent in 2024, Çelik said, "While parents are forced to cover all costs for issues like security and cleaning in schools, village schools and boarding schools have been closed. Due to these practices of the political power in education, young people are forced to seek their future abroad, and families are forced to send their children to private schools under the grip of exorbitant prices," he stated.

Noting that teachers are condemned to wages below the poverty line, Çelik said, "Today in Turkey, there are approximately 20 million students, 1 million 155 thousand teachers, and about 1 million unappointed teachers. Education workers who work as paid and contracted teachers because they are not appointed are subjected to labor exploitation. Teachers, whom the Head Teacher Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared as the crown of our heads with the words, 'Those who save nations are only and exclusively teachers. A nation deprived of teachers and educators has not yet gained the ability to be called a nation,' have been discredited and become targets of violence due to the political power's practices over the years. The incident of violence that occurred in schools, which recently resulted in the death of a principal, shows that the lives of education workers are not safe. Due to the 'interview' enigma, which the political power promised to abolish before the 2023 Presidential elections but which the Minister of National Education himself announced would continue, thousands of teacher candidates are being unfairly eliminated today. Aside from solving this problem, merit is gradually disappearing due to this practice in the public sector, and thousands of young candidates are being victimized," he said.

BUSES WILL BE PROVIDED FROM DIFFERENT DISTRICTS

Finally, Çelik said the following:

"Education is a fundamental human right, and ensuring every child has access to quality education is one of the state's most basic responsibilities. Contemporary, secular, and scientific education is indispensable for the Republic. The new curriculum announced by the Ministry of National Education targets these indispensable elements of the Republic and serves the government's project of raising obedient and content generations. Against this collapse in the education system caused by the political power; CHP will hold a rally in Saraçhane on May 18 at 13:00 with unappointed teachers, victims of the interview system, and all our citizens who are concerned about the new education curriculum, want secular education, and demand contemporary education for a contemporary republic. Vehicles will be provided from 39 districts for citizens who wish to attend the rally. As part of the rally preparations led by CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik, 39 district chairs are continuing their meetings with education unions, associations, and non-governmental organizations in their districts, inviting institutions and organizations to the rally. In addition to CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, unappointed teachers, victims of the interview system, and education workers who have been subjected to violence will each give a speech at the rally. The new education curriculum and topics of secular, contemporary, and scientific education will also be among the main themes of the rally. We invite all our citizens to our rally, which we will hold on Saturday, May 18, at 13:00, to say stop to this bad trend in education together."