Scandalous correspondence revealed: Instruction to hang Erdoğan posters in schools

Some district directorates affiliated with the Ministry of National Education sent an instruction to school principals requesting that President Erdoğan's poster be hung alongside the Turkish flag during events such as the October 29 Republic Day and the November 10 Atatürk Commemoration Day. This instruction was conveyed without being based on any written regulation or circular.

The Eğitim-İş Union reacted, stating that this practice turns schools into areas for political propaganda. Similar controversies had occurred previously, with allegations that Atatürk posters were removed in some schools. However, this time, an instruction directly covering national holidays was issued.

CHP Deputy Chairman Suat Özçağdaş described the practice as a "partisan imposition." In a statement made via social media, he said, "This instruction has no legal basis and violates the state's principle of neutrality." Özçağdaş emphasized that there is no provision regarding a presidential poster in the Turkish Flag Law or the Regulation on Ceremonies and Celebrations.

EĞİTİM-İŞ: ATATÜRK CANNOT BE COMPARED TO ANYONE

In its statement, the Eğitim-İş Union also noted, "Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, cannot be compared to any office," stating that the instruction is contrary to the state's principle of neutrality. The union called its 17 thousand members to action, expressing that it is not political identities but the common values of the nation that befit the name of Atatürk.

While CHP politicians and education unions evaluate this situation as a new example of politicization in education, no official statement has yet been made by the ruling party front.