It has been reported that the Bahçelievler Municipality has had posters hung in schools across the district stating that toilet cleaning and hygiene supplies are provided by the municipality. The inclusion of both the municipality's name and the name of Bahçelievler Mayor Hakan Bahadır on the posters has drawn backlash.
According to a report by BirGün, the posters hung in schools feature the statement, "The toilet cleaning and hygiene cleaning supplies for this school are provided by the Bahçelievler Municipality." It was also reported that the practice was not limited to posters, as aprons featuring the municipal logo and the slogan "We Are Bahçelievler Together" were distributed to school cleaning staff.
Gül İnce, President of the Eğitim-İş Istanbul No. 1 Branch, stated that public services cannot be turned into promotional and advertising material. İnce noted that they witnessed the posters and aprons in question during union visits to schools.
PUBLIC SERVICE DEBATE
Emphasizing that school cleaning is a part of municipal services, İnce asked, "When the municipality cleans schools, is it not using the taxes paid by citizens, which are one of the important sources of municipal revenue? Is cleaning schools, just like keeping streets, avenues, and parks clean, not a part of municipal service?"
İnce stated that most schools report meeting their own cleaning needs with their own resources, yet posters containing municipal promotion are still hung on their walls.
Expressing that the cost of the municipality's promotional and advertising expenditures to the public budget should be disclosed, İnce also questioned the purpose of distributing aprons with the municipal logo to cleaning staff whose wages are covered by school parent-teacher associations.
Stating that public resources should be directed toward the district's real needs rather than advertising posters, logo-branded aprons, and promotional activities, İnce said, "Cleaning schools is not an advertising opportunity; it is a responsibility."
News Source: 12punto
