As the schools have been shut down around Turkey due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of National Education launched an online distance learning program via the state-run TRT-EBA TV. The program for middle school children on the TV channel featured an animated video of the hanging of former Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in 1961 after a military coup.
As the program has been widely criticized in the country, the solidarity network, ‘We will breathe down bosses’ neck’ platform, released a public statement regarding the distance learning broadcasted by the Ministry of Education.
The statement is as follows:
The schools have been shut down because of the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. This week, distance learning has been launched. The content of education in Turkey was broadcasted on EBA TV with the beginning of distance learning. On the first day, high school students were subjected to Islamic hymns as middle school students were subjected to an animated video of the execution of Adnan Menderes.
To highlight, middle school students watched the execution of a capital punishment. Following the public reaction, the Minister of Education Ziya Selçuk declared that he did not know about the animated video and he did not approve of this situation. When he released his official statement, the public opinion on social media called for his resignation.
Reactionarism in education is not new
It would be wrong to say that distance learning is used for reactionary propaganda because the content on EBA TV is already in harmony with the current curriculum. If schools were functioning, our children would be subjected to the same reactionary contents at schools.
As one might remember, the act on 4+4+4 [educational reforms legislated in 2012] radically increased the number of imam-hatip schools, introduced three elective religious courses alongside one mandatory religious course. In 2017, the whole curriculum was reformed with reactionary contents.
When the whole process is considered, it is obvious that the current situation is not caused by a mistake as a result of the lack of necessary time to prepare the content as Selçuk suggests. Every promotion in the Ministry of Education requires a connection with a religious order rather than merit system. Never mind Selçuk says he does not approve hymns and the images of capital punishment, nothing has changed regarding the reactionary policies of the Ministry of Education since Selçuk became the Minister.
Fight is necessary for scientific education
Thus, the point is not only about distance learning. What distance learning demonstrates is what our children are subjected to every day at schools. What distance learning demonstrates is that a fight is required for equalitarian and scientific education so that we could save our children from this darkness.
We salute all parents who protested to force the Minister to apologise. We remind them: we cannot protect our children from this darkness on an individual basis. All schools have been transformed into imam-hatip schools through mandatory and elective religious courses. The distance learning has further brought imam-hatip teaching to your homes!
We salute all teachers who oppose the reactionary practices at schools. This fight should be deepened and broadened outside schools in cooperation with progressive parents.
Let’s fight against this darkness and expand this fight all over Turkey through the teachers’ network of ‘We will breathe down bosses’ neck’ platform to save our children.
