WAN – Reacting to reports that Kurdish students were made to recite nationalist poems in schools, Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim Sen) Wan (Van) Co-Chair Murat Atabay said the education system promotes the idea that “Turkishness is the superior identity” and that children’s mother tongues are inferior.
Controversy arose after students at a school in Van’s Başkale district were made to read a poem declaring, “Turkish is my mother tongue; we are Turks, we speak Turkish,” as part of a Ministry of Education event titled “The Richness of Our Language.” Similar incidents were reported in Diyarbakır, where a student recited a historical decree banning the use of languages other than Turkish.
Atabay said the education curriculum, which has long been criticized for its nationalist and exclusionary content, must be changed.
“This poem appears in sixth-grade textbooks and was even shared on the district education office’s social media accounts,” he said and added: “The system prioritizes Turkishness, ignores other ethnic groups, and imposes Sunni-Hanafi values. Education should not be a tool for denial and assimilation.”
‘CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION FOR KURDISH IS NEEDED’
Atabay emphasized that the education system must be fundamentally restructured and include mother-tongue education: “Turkey is home to many peoples, yet the Constitution defines Turkishness as a superior identity, which is a racial definition that excludes others. There must be constitutional guarantees for Kurds and the Kurdish language.”
‘THEY ARE TRYING TO SHAPE CHILDREN’S MINDS’
Criticizing the use of nationalist slogans such as “Speak Turkish,” and “How happy is the one who says I am a Turk,” Atabay said: “They are deliberately shaping children’s subconscious to believe their own language and culture are inferior. This is a form of voluntary assimilation that damages children psychologically and academically.”
‘EDUCATION HAS BECOME AN IDEOLOGICAL SPACE’
Atabay stated that education has been turned into a political and religious battleground: “Schools have become spaces dominated by sects and religious groups through state protocols. Education should be scientific, secular, gender-equal, and free. Instead, it’s being used to promote a single ideology.”
‘PARENTS MUST BE VIGILANT’
Calling on parents to take a stand against sectarian and ideological interference in schools, Atabay concluded: “When any religious group organizes an event at a school or dormitory, parental consent is required. Parents must refuse permission for such activities — their stance is crucial to prevent further indoctrination.”
MA / Ozlem Yacan