CHP files motion against Turkish education minister

ANKARA

Education Minister Nabi Avcı. AA Photo

As Turkey marked Teachers’ Day on Nov. 24, the country’s main opposition party has claimed that the administration of the Education Ministry has been seized by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son, Bilal Erdoğan, and an Islamic-leaning foundation with which he is closely involved.

A group of deputies from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) also filed a motion to launch a parliamentary inquiry against Education Minister Nabi Avcı for not implementing the requirements of a court decision that canceled the results of a central exam for students in 2013.

“The Education Ministry is has no head. The ministry is being run by TÜRGEV [the Service for Youth and Education Foundation of Turkey] and Bilal Erdoğan,” CHP Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Levent Gök said at a press conference on Nov. 24.

Gök accused the ministry of following “fundamentalist and reactionary policies” shaped according to the statements of the president's son.

Bilal Erdoğan is among the board members of TÜRGEV, a charity nongovernmental organization.