Ministry enacts measures to fight gender inequality

ANKARA

Turkey has a student population of 16 million. In an effort to fight gender inequality the Education Ministry will train some 60,000 teachers and administrators. AA photo

In an effort to fight gender inequality found within the educational system the National Education Ministry has instigated a project of reforms which includes training 60,000 teachers and administrators and editing textbooks to support gender equality.

The Project for Supporting Gender Equality in Education aims to develop awareness of gender equality and expand this awareness throughout the nation’s entire educational system, the National Education Ministry’s Director General of Secondary Education Ercan Türk said.

“This project aims to remove the negative affects of gender roles in society, which are constructed by cultural details and meanings focusing on biological diversities between the genders, and aims to support gender equality, develop the equality between male and female students at schools, and establish an awareness of gender equality in the whole education system,” Türk said.

Turkey’s population is now almost equally divided between men and women and the country’s student population of 16 million reflects this. According to Türk, the project will be implemented at 40 schools in the provinces of Erzurum, Batman, Samsun, İzmir, Malatya, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Karaman, Trabzon and Sivas. He said while choosing the provinces, they tried to avoid conflicts between the provinces in which other projects related to girls are conducted, and tried to provide coherence. “With this project, which costs 3.6 million Euro in total, [a sub-project known as] Gender Equality Assurance Means will be developed for evaluating and measuring all personnel at schools; and all education programs, course books and materials will be reviewed and reformed in order to contribute to gender equality,” Türk
said.

Türk indicated that 60,000 teachers and administrators will be trained and some regulations regarding gender equality will be made. Türk said the works will possibly start on January 2013 and last 30 months.