Turkey Century Education Model?!

Today, education, which should be viewed as above politics in our country, and even globally, is unfortunately far from where it should be; it has become something trampled upon in a careless, inconsistent, and unprincipled manner.

The real reason behind the current state of our nation is that, instead of addressing the shortcomings and strengthening the positives, the education system, which has changed nine ministers and 20 different systems in the last 22 years, keeps being restructured from scratch. According to the World Economic Forum, which researches the education levels of countries around the world, Turkey ranks 99th in education.

YES...

WE ARE RANKED 99TH IN THE WORLD IN EDUCATION.

At this point, the content of the new education model presented to us as the Turkey Century Education Model turned out to be as expected.

Many details, which symbolize a backward and dark path, have been voiced by educators, civil society organizations, and intellectuals.

In fact, the content, which was planned to be implemented under a cloud of confusion and manipulation, has been exposed.

The draft of the new curriculum was presented to the public by the Ministry of National Education for feedback, with only one week allowed for responses. ONE WEEK.

This program, which is said to have been worked on by the Ministry of National Education for 10 years (…so those who started this work must have known they would soon be in charge?), consists of over 3,000 pages, 26 different new booklets, and was prepared with the input of many academics and educational stakeholders.

• Which educator, with what kind of supernatural power, could internalize this in one week?

• Or who, in this short time, could review the old curriculum, compare it with the new one, and provide feedback?

Not allowing sufficient time for consultation by experts creates the perception of a top-down imposed program.

• Who were the academics and educational stakeholders involved in the program? From which institutions, and based on what criteria were they selected?

Why were the names of those who will shape the future of our children not shared with the public?

• The fact that the booklets lack bibliographies clearly and openly shows that this program is far from being scientific.

• Were there any parents among the stakeholders?

• Or civil society organizations?

• Were any pilot studies and needs assessments conducted beforehand?

• How will the teachers, who are supposed to implement this program in four months, be trained? Will they be trained only during a one-week seminar period?

• How will the training of educators be ensured?

According to the 2021-2022 formal education statistics, there are 19.155.571 students in formal education. Implementing a system that directly or indirectly affects an average of 60 million people without conducting a pilot study, and rolling out a program without training the teachers who will educate the children in the faculties of education, means that, as in past years, our children will have wasted years in the future as well.

In a country where a generation has been alienated from school by cursive writing, trying to make everyone wear a one-size-fits-all model is an exercise in futility.

We educators must be given time to thoroughly examine the new program and the right to express opinions so that the program embraces the future.

The assurance of our future is proper education for our children and the bright tomorrow of our children!

May 2, 2024

Sevim DALGIÇ GÜL