Republic Day message from Eğitim-İş Union

Seher Ergin stated, "An environment is being created across our country where anti-Republican elements find courage in the fields of education, culture, and social life. These dark intentions aim to divert us from the path we must walk in the light of reason and science left to us by the Republic and its founders."

Ergin stated the following:

We celebrate the 101st anniversary of the proclamation of our Republic with our belief in the ideal of enlightenment and modernization, and with deep respect for our Head Teacher Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The Republic of Turkey was established under the leadership of Atatürk through the struggle initiated by our nation with a love for independence, and it rose with a governance approach based on popular sovereignty. Sovereignty was given to our nation unconditionally, and the fundamental values of the Republic, such as secularism and democracy, were adopted.

The Republic is the name of the war waged against ignorance, bigotry, fanaticism, poverty, and despair. In the words of Atatürk, "The Republic is especially the protector of the unprotected."

Because of all these enlightening characteristics, our Republic is under attack as it reaches its first century.

Today, the mindset governing the Republic views democracy not as an end, but as a means, and works to realize its own political agenda.

Discourse that began with statements targeting the first four articles of the Constitution and continued with the invitation of the terrorist leader to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey causes the fundamental principles of our Republic to be opened for debate and fuels polarization in society.

These approaches are incompatible with the egalitarian and unifying principles of the Republic and harm our social peace.

Although Atatürk showed us the path to follow with his words, "Friends, gentlemen, and fellow citizens, know well that the Republic of Turkey cannot be a land of sheikhs, dervishes, disciples, and madmen. The truest, most genuine order is the order of civilization," today, revolutionary laws, primarily the principle of Unification of Education, are being violated; the goal of contemporary science and education created in line with Atatürk's principles and revolutions is being abandoned; those who insult the Republic, its founders, and its values are indirectly encouraged through policies of impunity; and in our Republic, which means equality between men and women, our women are facing the threat of reactionism. With the education system that has been attempted to be implemented over the last 22 years, the aim is to raise a religious, conservative, obedient generation that adopts a culture of submission and is closed to critical thinking.

An environment is being created across our country where anti-Republican elements find courage in the fields of education, culture, and social life. These dark intentions aim to divert us from the path we must walk in the light of reason and science left to us by the Republic and its founders. As Atatürk said, “The truest, most genuine order is the order of civilization,” and as education workers who believe in the Republic's goal of contemporary civilization, we will not deviate from this path.

As Eğitim-İş, we will continue to work to keep the founding values of the Republic alive and to raise our children with a secular, scientific, and contemporary understanding of education. We stand firmly behind these values, which should be celebrated with enthusiasm on the 101st anniversary of our Republic, even at a time when the political power and various circles are trying to overshadow them.

We celebrate the October 29 Republic Day of our entire nation with our most sincere wishes, and we respectfully commemorate the founder of our Republic, the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and his comrades-in-arms.

Long live the Republic forever!