Members of the Education and Science Trade Union (Eğitim-Sen) were prevented from marching from the Ministry of National Education (MEB) to the Turkish Grand National Assembly to demand the withdrawal of the proposed Teaching Profession Law (ÖMK).
To be discussed at the general meeting
The proposed teaching law, which was accepted by the National Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports last week, is due to be discussed at a plenary session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
As the general assembly began deliberations on the 39-article bill, teachers came to the Ministry of Education and chanted, “No to the Teaching Profession Law, which is the enemy of teachers,” and “Long live the struggle for organization.” They shouted, “Budget for teachers, not for sects,” “Yusuf Tekin, enemy of teachers, resign,” and “Parliament, reject the ÖMK.”
“No to Ohmuk, the enemy of teachers”
The educators held up a banner reading “No to the ÖMK, the enemy of teachers.” Some members of the CHP and the People’s Democratic Party of Equality (DEM) also supported the action.
Police did not allow the educators to march from the Ministry of Education to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The road to the parliament building was blocked off with fences. The teachers’ path was blocked by riot police.
Police announced to teachers to disperse and asked them to remain in an area reserved for the press conference.
“You will be distributed by the use of force.”
“Please stop resisting the police. The direction to disperse is sihiye. Your actions are illegal. If you do not disperse, we will forcibly disperse you,” the police statement said.
Three educators detained
Making a statement in front of the Ministry of National Education (MEB), Atim Sen chairman Kemal Irmak announced that three Atim Sen members had been detained and said: “We are here and we are not going to leave.”
The Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim-Sen) wanted to march to Parliament in front of the Ministry of National Education to respond to the proposed teaching profession law, which began to be discussed at the general assembly. When the police prevented them from marching, the teachers started a sit-in protest in front of the Ministry of Education.
H.E. Tim Sen Chairman Kemal Irmak said in a statement here:
“We said, ‘Our friends are being detained.’ They said, ‘No.’ They said, ‘This door doesn’t work, this door works,’ and we said, ‘Okay.’ And they said something else. They hid from people. When we told them here that our friends were being detained, they called headquarters and said, ‘Your friends are being detained.'” “This barricade is being imposed on us in an anti-democratic way. This barricade is actually being built for this country, for the future of this country, for education workers and children. It’s an obstacle. They don’t realize it.”
“We know the perpetrators, they will be held accountable.”
“Only the elders are protected here. But the children, the future of this country, are under threat. They are trying to darken our future. They want to drag us into the darkness of the Middle Ages. We know the criminals, they will be held to account, know this, gentlemen, if this barricade is not opened by 17:00, we will convene the entire organization here tomorrow, and we will overcome this barricade that has been built. Against us and against the law that is about to be enacted in an undemocratic way for us in Parliament, tomorrow our masses will come here and together with them we will overcome that law and this barricade. “
“They create an educational order with their bosses and their cults.”
“They want to send our children to sectarian homes. They are building these barricades because we are against this. The criminals will be held accountable. 90,000 education workers are working below minimum wage. They want to employ teachers in slavery.” They are darkening the educational lives of billions of children with the exam-oriented education system they created. They are spreading poverty. “They will be held accountable for what they created. Occupational laws have not solved any educational problems.” They have destroyed the quality of education. They are building the education system in collaboration with bosses and sects.”
Educators who are members of the Education Centre said they would continue their sit-in protest in front of the Ministry of Education until the barricades were removed and a statement was made in front of the National Assembly.
