Ministry announces immediate hiring to improve school hygiene

ANKARA

Education Minister Yusuf Tekin announced that thousands of additional staff will be swiftly hired this week to address the escalating hygiene and cleanliness issues plaguing schools nationwide for weeks.

A hiring shortfall has emerged regarding school custodians, stemming from a disruption in the subcontracting system, leaving the ministry with a significant personnel deficit, Tekin said in a televised interview on Sept. 21.

Local media have been airing footage since schools reopened on Sept. 9, showing teachers and occasionally parents, taking turns cleaning classrooms. Numerous educators have voiced their frustrations about the deteriorating hygiene standards in schools.

Tekin noted that while they launched a public benefit program in collaboration with the Labor and Social Security Ministry to transition subcontracted workers to permanent positions, complications in this initiative meant that only 25 percent of the available positions were filled.

"Last year, 60,000 staff were allocated for this purpose, but this year, we've designated 120,000 personnel. However, the number of applicants for this initiative has been exceedingly limited, and we’ve only managed to fill 25 percent of the available positions," Tekin explained.

The minister's remarks also dismissed claims that the Turkish government’s austerity measures, introduced in May, led to a reduction in the number of cleaning staff.

After discussions with the labor ministry and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Tekin stated that 30,000 staff will start work immediately on Sept. 23.

"We have tested the application and functionality of the labor product program and encountered setbacks. We will commence the process as of Monday, [Sept. 23]" he affirmed.

Addressing concerns about school security, Tekin emphasized that schools were analyzed based on their risk profiles, with police presence in high-risk areas. He added that while there is no policy for hiring security personnel in schools, nearly all schools are equipped with security cameras.