Main opposition slams government over education policies

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

AA Photo

The leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has slammed the government over its education policies, adding that teachers and not politicians should be at the core of making educational policies.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said Turkey’s education policies were changing according to the ministers appointed to the post, which could not allow the implementation of a policy that frees the mind.

“Why cannot we bring to life an education policy that frees the mind? I am saying this with sorrow,” said Kılıçdaroğlu, speaking at an education meeting in Istanbul.

Referring to the current primary education system, which is dubbed the “4+4+4 system” and was passed in parliament by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2012, Kılıçdaroğlu said the government did not have this proposal in any of their programs when it was sent to parliament.

“The 4+4+4 system was not in their development, government or education program when the law passed from the parliament. It was not even debated for 10 minutes at the cabinet meeting,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.

He said the proposal to change the education system was presented by five deputies, none of which where teachers or came from an academic background, and he had wished teachers would have united to form a block to prevent the system from changing.

Kılıçdaroğlu said the CHP had the future of Turkish society in mind when they were organizing the event, adding teachers did not hold as dignified a place in society as they actually needed to.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the history, civilization and culture of Turkey had always given great importance to education, adding they were trying to abolish all obstacles from education in the country.

Erdoğan said that during his 12-year rule as prime minister they had increased the number of universities from 76 to 176 in 2002, when the AKP came to power, adding there was an important reason behind this policy.

“For long years the most important problem in Turkey’s education system was the transformation from secondary education to higher education,” said Erdoğan, adding that they were putting in every effort to move the obstacles before the students who want to reach higher education.