Dubar – In the Gebze district of Kocaeli, a debate continues over the decision of high school administrators to ban students wearing dresses from the school grounds for their graduation ceremony.
Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin responded to the criticism and supported the principal.
Asked about the Gebze scandal during a live broadcast from Habertürk, Tekin described it as a “simple incident.”
“The good things that are done are never on the agenda. No one appreciates the efforts and sacrifices of teachers,” Tekin said, adding: “If good people share them directly and immediately, we will take the necessary precautions.”
You can criticize us, but what’s wrong with teacher friends? These people selflessly take care of children for 180 days that you and we as parents cannot care for at home. Because of a simple event…
Let’s be a bit more sensitive to protect the rights of all our teacher friends. If we can’t solve it, you can criticize us, but the efforts of our friends have been in vain…”
“The debate has taken on another dimension…”
“I want you to share the positive with the public and the negative with us,” said Yusuf Tekin, adding, “Now the principal of our school has made a very logical start. He told the parents: ‘We are doing it.'” We’re going to create a graduation program, but who will join the students? The discussion, which began with “I’ll take you if there’s space,” developed into another dimension with the teacher’s friends feeling sorry for them.
Our district and state managers immediately intervened and the problem was resolved in a short time. The principal of our school lost control at first. We have already conducted the necessary investigations. If there was negligence, the necessary people will be punished. “If there was no negligence, many people will be under suspicion.”
Other key points from Minister Tekin’s remarks include:
Appointment of 20,000 teachers: Once the mechanisms related to oral education are completed, there will be 657 related mechanisms after completion. There is a schedule for security investigation. Once completed, we will take reservations and add them to the family. We have received responses from the relevant departments regarding the 20,000 people. We hope to complete it by the new semester. If we cannot do so, we will continue from where we were.
Interviews are a must: I want this. In terms of measuring the qualifications required for a profession. I consider teaching the most sacred profession. Therefore, I want this. I want our 86 million people to have many teachers who they can trust to entrust their children to. I want them to be the best. Parents register their children and choose teachers for their schools. I want teachers to choose while they have the choice, which puts this profession in a different position than other professions. A process of measurement and evaluation must be created. People should not have doubts about justice and trust. I think oral exams and interviews are mandatory.
There is also selection when hiring professors: Many universities hire professors through what is called a trial class. Even private schools hire faculty through interviews. What harm would there be if we did this in public? My answer to those who say, if we conduct interviews in a fair, transparent and trustworthy way, is this: we will establish a system where no one will raise any voice against the unfairness of this system.
We decided not to test a math teacher in the infinite ocean of mathematics. We said that if you were going to be a high school math teacher, say 9th or 10th grade, we would ask questions from the math curriculum. First of all, we limited the universe. We said we would not put anything in front of the jury that would reveal any personal information about you. He would go to the jury with a code. The jury would not know who was going to take the oral exam. A system that no one could interfere with.
The cameras will be in operation: if our teacher friend says “no” in the hall, he will sign “I was asked this question and I answered like this” under the question and answer sheet that we gave him. The cameras that record images and audio are already in operation, so that no one can say “I said this and I did something wrong.” And one last precaution: Don’t say “I took the exam, and after I came back I saw the examiner, I recognized him.”
Teaching Law: I think the teaching law will be submitted to the committee after the holidays. Then the whole assembly process. I don’t know the schedule for the current parliament. Our hope is that we will have a little more time to deal with what has been canceled before the deadline set by the annulment ruling given by the Constitutional Court expires. If the law is enacted before the Turkish Grand National Assembly goes into recess, there will be no problem for us.
Violence against teachers: We have developed the equivalent of the Ministry of Health on violence against teachers and health workers. We have enacted it into law. We have taken preventive measures to deter violence, strengthening penalties for those who commit violence, and also sanctions to prevent violence from being prolonged. We believe that these measures alone are not enough. Our Ministry has taken the measures. Let me give you an example. We took many measures in the notice last summer. One of them is that we introduced a procedure for parents to make an appointment to meet with teachers at school. I think this will prevent violent incidents to a great extent. Of course, I commend it. I say this against those who show examples of vandalism. Parents who are violent towards their children’s classmates. Parents who want to punish other people’s children based on what their children say. We have confronted teachers with acts of psychological oppression and offending. We have instituted a parent appointment system. We have started various training programs to raise awareness among parents. A short film will be featured. We work with parents. We also tell our teacher friends. It is our job to take these measures. This measure will only be successful if we, as a teaching community, come together and act to prevent violence on the ground. We have started installing CCTV cameras in schools to raise awareness among parents and introduce a parent nomination system.
Finally, private schools, for-profit enterprises: (demands of teachers in the private sector) After all, private schools are, in logic, for-profit enterprises. So they make calculations based on their own inputs and outputs. Turkiye, like the world, has gone through a process in recent years where various economic problems have surfaced. During the pandemic, schools remained closed. This shows that private schools, in a sense, are shrinking economically… When we spoke last summer, they said they had signed contracts with teachers. As a ministry, we would like to realize a mechanism in which their rights are protected in that sense. But you will also protect the teachers. In a way, we agreed. They said, “We will keep our promise to you.” We will follow this closely. We will also meet with our friends, teachers of private schools. We are told that your problem will be solved. But we say that it is impossible for them to impose a solution on us. Private schools now have contracts. Then we will test whether they are implementing the restrictions they promised.
Heyberida Theory: The seminary is a political issue, so I cannot judge it. If our respected president asks us to do a job, we have a responsibility to report to him. I visited the seminary and met with the representatives. They came twice. Personally, I think this is important for Turkey’s international power. I think it is right from the point of view of democracy and secularism. It’s my personal opinion. In the end, no matter what political decision is made, we will carry it out. I have summarized the history from the opening in 1844 to the closing. There is a debate about whether it can be opened, whether it can be opened legally.
(News Center)
