The Ministry of National Education (MEB) in Turkey is preparing to teach the Quran to pre-school children, who do not even know how to read and write, before the primary education.
The MEB’s program, which is being planned for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th-grade students of primary schools, will also include pre-school children who are illiterate.
In order to provide pre-school children an easy learn to read Quran, Quran teachers will use some similes in education such as "aleph [the first letter of the Arabic alphabet]-apple". In addition to this, visual and audio materials will be used in courses to provide permanent learning in children.
In the Quran 'education' system, MEB will adopt a class system based on children' levels of learning. Accordingly, five levels have been defined. C1, C2 and C3 will form a thirtieth part of the Quran separately bound, while K1 and K2 will constitute the reading stages of the program. Private kindergartens and elementary schools will adopt this program if they want.
Among the purposes of the program, it includes that "To provide students to realize the significance of reading the Quran; to pray while performing the salaat [ritual worship of Islam] in due form; to strengthen their religious feelings and thoughts; to know the meanings of prayers and suras [sections of the Quran]; to be loyal to national, moral and ethical values."
As the National Education's anti-scientific curriculum practised at the beginning of the academic year of 2017-2018 continues to poison children in Turkish schools, the Ministry had previously launched a campaign to get students comprehend 'the importance of martyrdom'. According to the General Directorate of Religious Education, the purpose of this project called "81 schools 81 martyrs" was "to get students understand the significance of martyrdom", while one of the project's results was determined as "to acquire children the habit of reading the Quran" in the official letter sent to the schools in Turkey.
