Controversial proposal from MÜSİAD President: He defended child labor

MÜSİAD President Burhan Özdemir made controversial statements regarding Turkey's education system in an interview with the pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak. Arguing that 12 years of compulsory education "has no benefit to the country," Özdemir said that children should be included in working life at an earlier age.

"NOT EVERY CHILD CAN SHOW ACADEMIC SUCCESS"

Claiming that compulsory education is insufficient in preparing children for working life, Özdemir stated, "Not every child can show the same academic success. The 12-year uninterrupted education system is a very wrong practice. It has no benefit to the country."

PROPOSAL FOR A MODEL THAT LEGITIMIZES CHILD LABOR

Arguing that young people should join the workforce earlier, Özdemir said:

"Education requirements should be relaxed. Our youth should adapt to the market faster with practical skills. We cannot respond to the needs of the 21st century this way. Education content should be redesigned. Without the necessity of university, our children should be directed toward the professions of the era."

Özdemir also stated that they have developed a model within this scope and plan to share it with the relevant ministries.

The MÜSİAD President said that the model he proposed could be used not only for employment but also for population growth. Stating that "with child-focused tax incentives, both a contribution to population growth can be made and a suitable environment can be prepared for the workforce of the future," Özdemir noted that they are considering economic goals and demographic structure in tandem.

News Source: 12punto