Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay speaks to 12punto

Semih Demirhan

The crisis between the Ministry of National Education (MEB) and foreign schools operating in Turkey is growing. A "curriculum crisis" had previously occurred regarding French schools in Turkey. The MEB later stated that the French schools Charles de Gaulle and Pierre Loti are affiliated with the French Ministry of National Education and do not comply with the curriculum in Turkey. The Ministry also banned both schools from admitting Turkish citizens.

Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin said in his statement last week, "I told the French ambassador. This is not right. I wrote the letter when I was an undersecretary. They stalled us. We send inspectors to the school. They don't let us in to see if there are students. Now they say, 'You cannot inspect us.' Then the children graduate. They bring their diplomas to us for equivalence. In other words, they are pitting the citizens against me."

Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin

Minister Yusuf Tekin stated in his speech yesterday at the AKP group meeting that action would be taken against French schools that do not comply with regulations.

German schools have also been added to the crisis between the MEB and French schools. The German Foreign Ministry announced that the admission of Turkish students to three German schools in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir has been halted.

Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay explained the background of the foreign schools crisis to 12punto. Özbay said, "The Ministry should first look in the mirror. Those responsible for this crisis are the ones who have caused education to collapse. The reasons why families send their children to foreign schools are the AKP government and the Ministry of National Education."

"IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, THE CHILDREN OF THE WEALTHY ALSO WENT TO MINORITY SCHOOLS"

Stating that "there are around 12 such foreign schools in our country," Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay explained that the foreign schools crisis dates back 100 years:

"There were such schools before, as minority schools. The discussion reminds me of this: In the Ottoman period, the education system included madrasas, secular schools, and these minority schools. At the time the Republic was founded, minority schools were also referred to as missionary schools. People with better financial means especially go to these schools in this country. Education has now turned into a purchasable commodity. The idea has formed that the more money you have, the more qualified education you can receive. It is observed that in the Ottoman Empire, the wealthy segment also sent their children to these minority schools. Therefore, this situation actually reminds us of 100 years ago. It means you have brought Turkey's schools to such a state that during your term, the rate of private schools has increased from 1 percent to 20 percent, and the people of this country no longer prefer Turkey's private and public schools, but rather choose to send their children to a school where they can get a better, more qualified education in exchange for money, which can take them out of this country. I think the ministry should look in the mirror first. What is the reason for this? Today, the vast majority of the student population in these private schools has started to consist of Turkish citizens. This shows how much the quality of education in Turkey has fallen and that people are sending their children to private or foreign schools instead of public schools based on their economic status."

"THEY ARE ALSO TURNING OTHER SCHOOLS INTO IMAM HATIPS"

Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay claimed that religious courses are being imposed on foreign schools and made the following assessment:

"There is a mentality that lies in an archaic curriculum, surrounds itself with sects and religious communities, increases religious-content courses through mandatory elective courses, ties the Ministry of National Education to the sub-affairs of the Diyanet, and wants to spread this to foreign schools as well. Because the AKP targets social change. It sees that even if it increases the number of Imam Hatip schools, they are not preferred. Then it turns other schools into Imam Hatips; that's not enough, it goes to private schools. It is necessary to make those places ones that implement this curriculum and participate in the protocol. The children of this country should receive education in the schools of this country in accordance with Turkey's understanding. The people responsible for this incident are themselves, and their goal is to transform these schools a bit in line with their own wishes."

Eğitim-İŞ President Kadem Özbay

"MINORITY SCHOOLS HAVE ALSO DEVIATED FROM THEIR REAL PURPOSE"

Pointing out that there are also problems with the attitude of foreign schools, Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay continued as follows:

"Public schools have moved away from being the schools of the Republic, and the minority schools here have also deviated from their real purpose. The main reason for this is the move away from contemporary and scientific education, and the transformation of education into a privileged status. The ones responsible for the crisis are the political power. While basic education is compulsory under the Constitution, why do parents have to send their children to schools far away by shuttle or to private schools when they could send them to the public school near their homes? Why do they have to send them to a foreign school? Therefore, those responsible for this are the ones who have caused the collapse of education. For this reason, I think the reasons why families send their children to foreign schools are the AKP government and the Ministry of National Education. If you want to solve the problem, you must first increase the quality of your own schools. It is not possible to eliminate mosquitoes without drying the swamp. The ones responsible for this crisis are those who have created this destruction in education from start to finish. Of course, foreign schools should also act based on certain criteria, as in international agreements. As I said before, the solution to the crisis is to increase the quality and standard of education in public schools. Otherwise, why would anyone want to go to a foreign school or a private school and pay money? Just as people from the Middle East migrate to the West, this is a migration to the West in the field of education; the reason for this is the Tayyip Erdoğan government. These things are not done by scaring people or with punitive actions."

"A LARGE PORTION OF THOSE LEAVING WANT TO OBTAIN DUAL CITIZENSHIP"

Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay commented on the German Foreign Ministry's decision to halt the admission of Turkish students to three German schools in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir:

"Today, we have doctors leaving our country for Germany and abroad; we have a high-level brain drain. A large portion of those leaving want to obtain dual citizenship. I mean, why would a citizen of one country want to obtain citizenship from another country? Because they have brought the country to such a state in the international arena that they have lowered the social status. Let's take the economy as an example. They are begging for investment in Turkey. Hoping that dollars and euros will come. But there is no trust because something could be shut down suddenly overnight by a decree-law. I think foreign schools are also looking at these practices and setting a boundary for Republic of Turkey citizens here, both to avoid any problems and because they prioritize their own citizens first. I interpret that they are acting this way thinking that they will avoid victimizing their own citizens. Here, the difference between the value given to one's own citizens and the value given to foreigners emerges."

The German Ernst-Reuter School, one of the schools causing the crisis