CHP slams gov't over removal of student oath

ANKARA

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has slammed both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) over the removal of the student oath from primary schools after a court decision.

Until 2013, all Turkish primary students had to recite the student oath at the beginning of every school day. With a purpose to impart moral and nationalistic values to students, the oath ended with the line, “How happy is he who can say I am a Turk.”

It was removed from schools after an instruction issued by the AKP government in that year. The years-long judicial process was ended last week as the Administrative Court approved the government’s decision in 2013.

Kılıçdaroğlu argued that the Administrative Court’s ruling came after four of its judges were replaced by Erdoğan recently,

CHP leader also criticized MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, who slammed the court’s decision without mentioning the role of Erdoğan as the head of the government.

“The student oath was annulled by the People’s Alliance. Mr. Bahçeli is doing wrong by putting the blame on the court and not on Erdoğan. If you want the oath back to schools, then you should make a call to Erdoğan and tell him that you cannot walk together with him if this oath is not reinstated,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Bahçeli, in a statement last week, warned that the removal of the oath would be a very dangerous move for the unity of the people and slammed the court’s ruling.