İzmir provincial education authority pledges to expel ‘communist, atheist teachers’

ANKARA

'There are atheist and communist teachers in schools. If you put your children in their hands they will try to explain Darwin’s theory,' İzmir Provincial Director of Education Vefa Bardakçı was quoted as saying.

Threatening statements issued by a provincial education official against “communist and atheist teachers” have prompted an opposition lawmaker to ask Turkey’s education minister whether the official’s suspension is being considered.  

“Communists are giving courses and brainwashing children. I will never let my students be brainwashed … My friends, you should say ‘get out’ to these communists and get rid of them,” İzmir Provincial Director of Education Vefa Bardakçı was quoted saying in a motion filed by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) İzmir deputy Mustafa Moroğlu.

“There are atheist and communist teachers in schools. If you put your children in their hands they will try to explain Darwin’s theory,” Bardakçı also allegedly stated.

He is said to have delivered the statements at a Sept. 20 meeting with secondary and high school principals from religious vocational İmam-Hatip schools in the western province of İzmir.

“İmam-Hatip schools are symbols of morality and religion. But we have not injected İmam-Hatip culture into people living in İzmir,” Bardakçı also allegedly said, in apparent reference to İzmir’s relatively relaxed attitude to religion.

In his written motion filed to the Parliament Speaker’s Office on Oct. 14, Moroğlu listed several questions addressed to Education Minister Nabi Avcı.

He also described Bardakçı’s discourse as “inappropriate, antiquated, humiliating and discriminatory against educators and İzmir’s residents,” and asked whether Avcı approved of such discourse.

“Will you launch the required investigation about this issue? Will you suspend the İzmir provincial director of education for the sake of a healthy investigation?” Moroğlu asked in his motion.