17.01.2026 14:45
Regarding the claims that Atatürk's picture has been removed from report cards, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin stated, "The money of Istanbul residents, the water that will flow from the homes of Istanbul residents, the sources of the problems that will solve the traffic woes that Istanbul residents face, should not be hidden behind Atatürk, using him as a shield for the thefts committed by those who spend it on gambling, drugs, and prostitution. You are becoming ridiculous."
The Ministry of National Education has initiated a new application within the scope of the Turkey Century Education Model. A practice has been launched to provide 'development reports' that include students' social-emotional learning skills instead of report cards for first and second-grade primary school students. The absence of a picture of Atatürk in these development reports has also sparked discussions.
"THOSE WHO SPEND ISTANBUL'S MONEY ON PROSTITUTION..." Speaking at the "Northeast Anatolia Regional Strategy" meeting held in Erzurum, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin responded to these allegations and harshly criticized the opposition. Emphasizing that the opposition in Turkey has its clichés, Minister Tekin stated, "When their clichés are disrupted, when they want to hide something, they immediately resort to the classic old things again because they cannot produce anything. There is theft of the century in Istanbul. To cover this up, they are now apparently resorting to the lie that Yusuf Tekin has removed Atatürk from the report cards. Shame. I mean, really shame. I call out to them. This theft is not a small theft that can be hidden behind these lies. The money of Istanbul, the money of Istanbulites, the resources that will solve the traffic problems that Istanbulites suffer from, are being spent on gambling, drugs, and prostitution by those who commit theft. Please do not hide behind Atatürk, you are becoming ridiculous. They are really becoming ridiculous," he said.
REFERRED TO LETTERS WRITTEN IN 2002 Continuing his words, Minister Tekin said, "Many things have changed in Turkey." He added, "The opposition is actually inclined to change, but unfortunately, from time to time, they resort to their old clichés without knowing what to do. Regarding education, I only say this. In 2002, the then Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit launched a project. He said, 'What kind of Turkey do you want in the hundredth year of the Republic?' Everyone should write a letter. In the hundredth year of the Republic, that is, in 2023, since I am the Minister of National Education, letters written to the Minister of National Education have come to me. In 2002, our teachers said, 'I hope we can teach in classes of 45-50 students in the hundredth year of the Republic.' What does that mean? They were teaching in classes of 70-80 students. Our teacher says, 'I hope in the hundredth year of the Republic, we will have schools where mice do not run in the corridors of our schools. We will have schools where our children do not have to go outside the school to meet their toilet needs. We will have one computer in our school. Currently, the number of students per classroom in Turkey is below the world average. We are teaching in the 20s. The number of students per teacher is also at a level that can be cited as an example in international indicators. According to the United Nations' own reports, Turkey is the only country in the world where there are interactive boards, that is, smart boards, in all classrooms. Internet access services are provided by the ministry," he stated.
"MAY GOD BE PLEASED WITH OUR PRESIDENT" Reminding that Turkey is a country that can be cited as an example in terms of physical indicators of education and teaching in the world, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin said, "Thank God we did this. May God be pleased with our President. We said that in our government, no one in Turkey will be marginalized because of their mother tongue, ethnic identity, or religious beliefs. Today, since 2002, we have started to offer elective courses in our schools, from elective Kurdish courses to elective Quran courses, providing options for everyone based on their ethnic and religious beliefs and lifestyles for our children and youth. In today's Turkey, no one is judged by their appearance or clothing. In today's Turkey, no one complains about equal opportunities in academic terms anymore. We have started to do completely different things. The will and determination of our President to challenge the tutelage is very important. However, if there were no organizations that support it and stand firmly behind it, we could not have done any of these. Therefore, being aware of this, our organization presidency has initiated this process to make this organizational awareness dynamic and strong. Inshallah, at the end of this process, when we reach the summer months, we will do together the things that will herald this new Turkey in the field," he said.