School principal addresses parents: 'Everyone must cover their heads!'

The AKP's much-touted "Turkiye Century Education Model" continues to bear its reactionary fruit. In the Yıldırım district of Bursa, Mahmut Celalettin Ökten Imam Hatip Middle School held an informational meeting with parents. The statements made by the school's principal, E.K.K., became the highlight of the meeting.

According to a report by Çağdaş Bayraktar from Cumhuriyet, the principal’s remarks were reportedly recorded by parents during the meeting. It is claimed that E.K.K. said, "There cannot be any female students with uncovered heads at this school. Everyone must cover their heads." Allegedly, the principal went further, stating, "We stand by the values of Islam, so we intervene with students who wear shorts or do not cover their heads." When parents criticized this authoritarian approach for affecting their children’s psychology, E.K.K. reportedly responded, "This is the stance of our school. Those whose psychology is affected should not be here."

Posts on the school's social media account showed that the faces of female students had been censored with emojis.

EĞİTİM-İŞ FILES A COMPLAINT

Reacting to these events, the Bursa branch of the Eğitim-İş union announced in a press release that they had filed a complaint against the principal for "discrimination and abuse of power."

Speaking to Cumhuriyet, Yeliz Toy, President of the Eğitim-İş Bursa branch, stated, "It is evident who has emboldened this reactionary mindset, which obstructs children's right to education and treats the school as their private property." Toy added that, in addition to their legal complaint, parents had also lodged complaints, saying, "However, there has been no response to the parents' complaints so far. We will not allow this incident to be swept under the rug like other cases, nor will we allow the principal who committed these offenses to be protected. As Eğitim-İş, our struggle will continue against this mindset, which commits the crime of discrimination, openly defies the laws of the Republic of Turkiye, and prevents 10-year-old girls from attending the state school of their choice simply because they do not cover their heads. We will protect the secular Republic of Turkiye and the secular education system, no matter the cost."