Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer expressed his condolences to Turkish people and families of mine workers Turkish people for the mine workers who died in an accident in Bartın during his speech at the ceremony held in MEB Meeting Hall.

 

"The Ministry of National Education has been there since the accident and opened all schools and dormitories in order to provide accommodation and serve hot meals. All school and psychological counselors of our Ministry went to Bartın in order to give psychological support to students, parents and teachers," said Özer.

 

All education expenses of the children of the martyred mine workers will be paid by the Ministry of National Education

 

Minister Özer stated that the Ministry of National Education assumed the responsibility of the education of the children of 41 martyrs and it will pay all education expenses of these children.

 

Özer made comments about the history of Imam-hatip schools which were inaugurated in 1913 and institutionalized in 1951.

 

"İmam-hatip schools and vocational schools suffered most. These two types of schools but especially imam-hatip schools experienced interventions and intrigues. I would like to commemorate Celalettin Ökten, former Minister of Education Tevfik İleri and former late Prime Minister Adnan Menderes with respect and gratitude for their effort to support imam-hatip schools between 1913 and 1951," said Özer.

 

Noting that students enrolled in imam-hatip schools have an innocent demand to study religion in addition to formal education, Özer stated that this demand was neglected for a decade between 1990 and 2000s. He went on to say that antidemocratic practices were injected to the system with education policies.

 

"Head scarf ban was an example of these antidemocratic practices and prevented their own children to enroll in education institutions due to headscarf.  They were debarred from using their basic institutional right about education. The goal was to remove imam-hatip schools from the education system. The main goal was to destroy success stories written by local and national people. Graduates of imam-hatip schools could not enroll in higher education and this caused academically successful students to alienate from these two types of schools. There were some brave people who visited villages in order to persuade families to enroll their children to imam-hatip schools," said Özer.

 

Minister Özer reminded that all antidemocratic practices were lifted in the last twenty years and the most important instrument in increasing the human resources quality is education.

 

He noted that those who imposed headscarf ban and coefficient practice did not work in an effort to increase schooling rates adding that, schooling rate of five year old children was 11 percent and schooling rate in secondary education was 44 in 20002.

 

Özer gave the updated schooling rates in all levels of education; schooling rate of five year old children reached 95 percent, schooling rate in primary schools reached 99,63 almost 100 percent, schooling rate in secondary schools reached 99,44 percent and schooling rate in high schools increased 95 percent.

 

Noting that the schooling rate in all levels of education exceeded 95 percent for the first time in the history of the Republic, Minister Özer stated, "Previous governments did not care about the development of the country. If they cared, they would have increased the schooling rates in all levels of education. Like our esteemed President frequently mentioned, their goal was to prevent Anatolian people from becoming a part of cultural power. We are grateful to our President Erdoğan for his determination and will to lift antidemocratic practices and make investments in order to enroll each child of this country to enroll in education institutions."  

 

Özer said that speculations and those who make speculations about the schooling rate of female students have no value adding that there were once pressures imposed on conservative parts of the society and some circles were trying to give the impression that conservative families did not want to send their girls to school.

 

He said that the schooling rate problem about female students was solved in the last twenty years and for the first time in the history of the Republic, the number of female students enrolled in education institutions exceeded the number of male students.

 

Minister Özer stated that his Ministry is working in line with the fact that Türkiye is a country who has a different say about the world, morality and compassion and congratulated the 71st anniversary of the foundation of imam-hatip schools.