News
Ruling AKP officials downplay tension with Gülen movement
The tension between the government and Gülen’s movement (also known as the “Community,” “Cemaat” in Turkish, or “Service,” “Hizmet” in English) has escalated after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced plans to abolish private examination prep schools, many of which were financed and run by Gülen’s followers. The tension has recently peaked, with Erdoğan describing the group’s objection to his government’s plans as “a smear campaign.”
President Gul says debates over prep schools should not lead to ‘resentment’
Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said ongoing debates over a recent controversy over the government’s move to shut down prep schools should not lead to “resentment.” The government’s plan to ban private tutoring institutions that train students for high school and university entrance exams has divided society and led to fear among some segments of the public that socioeconomic differences may further affect students’ academic achievement after the closure.
Prep school debate [in Turkey] continues
According to Bugün columnist Adem Yavuz Arslan, some newspapers, such as Akit, use very harsh language against the Hizmet movement in the prep school debate. Arslan wrote that newspapers are free to criticize things, but the criticism cannot be made as a form of revenge. The right to open a prep school is a democratic right, Arslan said.
AK Party’s Deputy Günay joins intra-party opposition to prep school ban
Another deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has criticized a recent government plan to shut down prep schools, saying that these institutions are not the cause of problems in the education system but a consequence of the current system. Günay’s remarks come one day after the AK Party referred Kütahya deputy İdris Bal to the party’s disciplinary board for expulsion after he opposed the government’s plan to close prep schools.
‘Hiç Durmadan Hizmete Devam’: Turks Decry Erdogan Decision Via #HiçDurmadanHizmeteDevam
Connor Adams Sheets The Turkish phrase “Hiç Durmadan Hizmete Devam” went viral on Twitter Thursday afternoon via the #HiçDurmadanHizmeteDevam hashtag, as Turks around the globe decried Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s refusal to reconsider his decision to close the country’s private “prep” schools. “Hiç Durmadan Hizmete Devam,” loosely translated as “do your service without stopping,” is a […]
Turkish schools students visit Thai education minister
The Turkish-operated Chindamanee, Siriwat, Wichai, Pan-Asia Schools in Thailand continue to wave the flag for Thailand in international arena. The schools’ students having ranked high in the recent international contests paid a visit to the Thai Minister of Education, Chaturon Chaisaeng, in his office. The students told the minister about the event following a promo […]
PM Erdoğan’s arguments on prep schools contradict statistics, facts
PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during a live TV interview on Wednesday night that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will not back down from its decision to close prep schools and listed his government’s arguments, many of which contradict official data, statistics and results of surveys carried out on the issue. According to surveys, 85 percent of the families who send their children to prep schools are low-income families.
Criticism rains down on gov’t for insisting on closing prep schools
In the meantime, BDP Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş struck a similar tone to the prime minister regarding the prep schools’ closure, saying that prep courses must be shut down. Demirtaş said the closure is a political as well as commercial issue, casting doubts on the government’s desire but expressing his approval at shutting down prep schools.
Opposing the majority
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will not back down from its decision to close prep schools, despite ongoing discussion on the matter and deepening polarization over the government’s move. Only 21 percent of people polled support the government’s move, according to a survey conducted by Mak Danışmanlık (Mak Consultancy).
Feud between Turkey’s Erdogan and influential cleric goes public
A feud between Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and an influential Islamic cleric has spilled into the open months ahead of elections, highlighting fractures in the religiously conservative support base underpinning his decade in power. The reclusive cleric drew parallels with the behavior of the secularist military in the build up to past coups.
Turkish parents worried about gov’t plan to shut down study centers
Working parents are extremely concerned with a planned move from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government to shut down study centers, where children can spend time after school doing their homework with the assistance of educational professionals, as part of a law that will see private prep schools that help students in preparing for high-school and university tests close.
Shutting down prep schools against free enterprise, analysts say
“It’s not possible to make out of this behavior befitting a government that defends a market economy,” Seyfettin Gürsel, director of Bahçeşehir University’s Center for Economic and Social Research, told Today’s Zaman. Opponents of the government’s plan have also noted that the prep schools are a consequence of the many inadequacies of Turkey’s education system, and said that prep schools help low-income students enter university.
AK Party takes action to expel deputy who opposed closure of prep schools
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) referred Kütahya deputy İdris Bal — who opposed the government’s planned closure of prep schools (dershanes) — to the party’s disciplinary board for expulsion on Thursday. Bal, reiterating his opposition to the closure of prep schools, he said that such a move would violate the Constitution.
Kimse Yok Mu medical volunteers in the Philippines
A Kimse Yok Mu team of 12 medical professionals have left for the typhoon-stricken Philippines. The team comprised of surgeons, midwifes, emergency medical technicians and doctors are tasked to heal the Filipinos suffering, in the aftermath of the devastating typhoon. A volunteer, midwife Bahriye Asirci, said “Both professionally and personally, it feels so good to reach out to those in trouble and need. May God let everyone experience the same.”
