Nearly 2.5 mln unable to receive education in quake-hit region
ISTANBUL
Nearly 2.5 million students in the southern provinces hit by the devastating Feb. 6 twin earthquakes are currently unable to receive education, according to a report by an education union.
The report prepared based on the observations made in the field noted that only 20-25 out of every 100 students in the 11 provinces affected by the earthquakes attend the education provided in the tents, but this is not regular either, Eğitim-İş Union said in a recent report.
Pointing out that there are 3.25 million students in these provinces according to official figures, the report elaborated, “According to the Education Ministry’s statement in late March, 252,829 students have used their right to transfer to other provinces. The rate of participation in the education in tents and containers reveals that around 2.4 million students do not receive education in the quake-hit region.”
The report also underlined that students preparing for high school and university exams should study in separate classes in the container schools to be established.
Nearly 5 million children have been affected by the earthquakes, and 200 children lost their limbs, according to the report issued by the Union of City Councils of Türkiye.
The disaster affected not only the physical, but also the mental and behavioral conditions of children negatively, the report said.
Meanwhile, nearly 35,000 of the students who were previously transferred to other provinces after the earthquakes have returned to their own schools, Education Minister Mahmut Özer said.
The minister stated that they take great care to return education back to normal in the region, and thanked the other ministries and officials for their support.
Özer added that as quake survivors were moved from tents to containers, the ministry started to provide televisions to all units to enable children to study, by watching TRT EBA, a distance education channel broadcasting programs related to the courses in the curriculum.