CHP presidential candidate Muharrem İnce pledges ‘free education’

BALIKESİR

Muharrem İnce, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has pledged to introduce a “free, scientific, secular and democratic” education system, revealing a 25-article education plan if he is elected.

“We will make education free of charge, scientific, secular and democratic,” İnce said on May 28 in an election rally in the northwestern province of Balıkesir.

He vowed that his “aim is to make education free of charge from start until end.”

“We will bring reconciliation, not imposition in education. Education will not be a field of political revenge,” he said, proposing that state religious vocational “imam-hatip” schools and science high schools “will be treated the same.”

“We have no problem in raising religious generations, but we will never raise vindictive ones,” he said, referring to a remark made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.İnce added that pre-school education will be obligatory and there will be additional policies for disabled children.

“Public transportation will be free for students and education professionals during school days. Mobile teaching, dual education, multi-grade classes will be lifted. We will re-open village schools that were closed,” he said.

“We will never send our children to schools that they do not want,” İnce added, also proposing to give a bonus to teachers.

“We will re-regulate teacher training and remove interviews in teacher recruitment, ending performance criteria,” he said.

İnce also reiterated the CHP’s proposal to give bursaries to students on national holidays May 19 and Oct. 29, proposing to continue paying scholarships two years after graduation “if they cannot find a job.”

“We will remove the Council of Higher Education [YÖK],” he vowed, referring to the controversial higher education body that has authority over all universities, adding that “rectors will be elected as they were before.”