A coalition led by the Education and Science Worker’s union’s (Eğitim-Sen) Kemal Irmak filed a legal challenge on Friday against the ‘Turkey’s Century Education Model’ curriculum, claiming it violates the country’s secular education standards.
The union, along with 23 other institutions, formed a platform to oppose the curriculum, which was approved by the Turkish Education Ministry on 26 May. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasised the nationalistic nature of the education model, stating that it was “prepared with a perspective that centres our nation’s deep-rooted history, culture, values and accumulated knowledge from the past.”
Kemal Irmak of Eğitim-Sen stated at a press conference in front of an Ankara courthouse that the curriculum’s alignment with non-secular educational institutions and its content has raised serious concerns among various societal groups.
“This curriculum turns a blind eye to diverse educational needs and aims to implement a uniform educational system akin to that of religious schools,” Irmak explained. He warned that such homogenisation would not only ignore the needs of diverse groups but could potentially jeopardise Turkey’s competitive edge in the global arena.
The National Education Ministry unveiled the draft curriculum on 26 April, opening it to public consultation until 10 May. It quickly faced backlash from educators, unions and political parties. Critics argued it marginalised secular and scientific education, prioritising religious and national values instead.
By 11 May, parents in Dersim (officially Tunceli), an eastern province predominantly populated by Alevis—a religious minority in Turkey—protested, fearing religious indoctrination and the marginalisation of secular values, particularly impacting the Alevi community. Kadriye Doğan of the Democratic Alevi Associations also criticised the curriculum on 20 May, asserting that it aimed to mould society to fit the regime’s ideologies and assimilate Alevi teachings into Sunni Islam.
The curriculum’s approval on 26 May spurred educators in Mersin to call for a school boycott on 11 June. The boycott specifically called for teachers to not attend schools and also encouraged parents to keep their children out of school. They protested the curriculum’s compromise of secular and scientific standards, aiming to unite stakeholders against this regressive shift in education.
Following their public declaration, the union’s members and their legal representatives proceeded to file their petition, stepping up the ongoing resistance against the curriculum, which critics argue could reshape Turkish education to the detriment of future generations.
Education reforms in Turkey
During the early 2000s, Turkey undertook several educational reforms as part of its efforts to align with European Union (EU) standards and to enhance its prospects for EU membership.
Curriculum Overhaul (2004-2005)
As part of a broader push during Turkey’s early 2000s EU accession bid to modernise its institutions and promote human rights, the country introduced significant changes to its primary and secondary school curriculums to emphasise critical thinking and reduce rote learning. These changes also sought to depoliticise education by removing nationalist and militaristic content, which was a step towards embracing more inclusive educational standards.
Increase in Compulsory Education
In 2012, Turkey extended compulsory education from 8 to 12 years, known as the ‘4+4+4 education system.’ This reform aimed to increase educational attainment and access, though it also faced criticism for potentially encouraging religious schooling after the first eight years.
However, the momentum for such reforms has seen a significant reversal in recent years, with a shift back towards more nationalist and conservative policies in education and other areas.
