Discrimination

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Discrimination in Turkey’s Education System 23 • Textbook topics are related to Kemalism, driving the authors to produce problematic texts. For example, in one Science and Technology textbook the topic of ‘harmony among living beings’ suddenly jumps to the words of Atatürk, while in a math textbook Atatürk is described as a scientist on the grounds of a book he wrote on the subject of mathematics: ‘This harmony and unity among living beings is also valid for societies. The incompatibility of systems and elements that make up societies disturb the peace of society. What makes a society resist and triumph over the obstacles it faces is the spirit of national solidarity and unity among the individuals of which it is formed. This bond of unity is the strongest bond that protects the existence of a nation and holds the individuals of a nation together, as expressed by the Great Leader Atatürk when he said, “We see the foundation of our national existence in our national unity and national consciousness.”’(Science and Technology 6, MoNE: 22) ‘Dear students. Below are the names of some scientists. Research the works of these scientists and their impact on human life. Prepare a report based on your research. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Blaise Pascal, Leonardo Fibonacci, Pythagoras.’ (Mathematics 8, Teacher’s Manual, MoNE: 69). • Non-Turkish communities are featured in the textbooks with negative references. The only mention of Kurds in textbooks still comes under the heading ‘Harmful Societies’ [Zararlı Cemiyetler]. Discriminatory statements against Syriacs were removed from textbooks following an application by Syriac institutions to the MoNE, but Armenians are still portrayed in textbooks as a group which once harmed and betrayed Turkishness and national existence.
Discrimination Based on Colour, Ethnic Origin, Language, Religion and Belief in Turkey’s Education System III. Forms of Discrimination/ Discriminatory Practices in Turkey’s Education System A. LANGUAGE-BASED DISCRIMINATION i. The right to learn one’s mother tongue/ elective language courses From the founding of the Republic of Turkey until 2012, other than the minorities recognized by the Treaty of Lausanne, groups living in Turkey with a mother tongue other than Turkish were not able to learn their own language within the formal education system. The Constitution that came into force in 1982 prohibited any language other than Turkish from being taught as a mother tongue. ‘No language other than Turkish shall be taught as a mother tongue to Turkish citizens at any institution of education. Foreign languages to be taught in institutions of education and the rules to be followed by schools conducting education in a foreign language shall be determined by law. The provisions of international treaties are reserved.’ 1 For decades, this article presented an obstacle to minority languages being taught in the formal education system, and even though this article has not been amended and ‘mother tongue-based multilingual education’ has not been introduced into legislation or the curriculum, the teaching of some minority languages has begun in practice, albeit gradually. In 2012 the education system underwent a reform, known by the public as the 4+4+4 system, and along with this the number of elective courses offered in schools increased; Living Languages and Dialects is one of the electives offered as of grade 5 within the new system. Implemented without describing any language (other than Turkish) spoken in the country as a ‘mother 1 Constitution of 1982, article 42. tongue’, this reform was welcomed by representatives of some social groups who are trying to keep alive a mother tongue other than Turkish, while others saw it as a tactic carried out by the government of the time to make them give up their demands for education in their mother tongue. 2 Other groups interpreted the addition of these courses as a positive development, but as insufficient in terms of protecting their mother tongues and in terms of the state’s responsibility in this regard: ‘While we see the Living Languages and Dialects electives that were introduced in Turkey in 2012 as a positive step in terms of changing the denial and assimilation policies towards mother tongues, we believe that this problem will not be solved with elective courses. We do not believe that the language of any one ethnicity in Turkey is more valuable or more important than that of other ethnicities. We believe that all languages are equal, valuable and important. It is the duty of the state not to simply permit these languages but to protect and maintain them. We demand that all the identities and languages in Turkey receive constitutional protection.’ 3 In the 2012-13 academic year, elective courses in the Kurmanji and Zaza dialects of Kurdish, 4 and in 2 ‘Seçmeli Kürtçe Asimilasyondur’, Taraf, 13 June 2012, http://www.taraf.com.tr/haber-secmelikurtce-asimilasyondur-94911/ 3 KAFFED monitoring report, 2015. 4 In this report, Kurmanji and Zaza are referred to as dialects of Kurdish upon the decision of member organizations of the Monitoring Discrimination in Education Network. While respecting views that Kurmanji and Zaza are separate languages, members of the network decided to use more commonly accepted definitions in this report. This does not signify that the project members hold any particular position regarding the status of Kurmanji and Zaza as languages or dialects.
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Nurcan Kaya is a jurist specializin
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Discrimination

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