Half day given to make new appointments draws ire of principals

A total of 7,000 educators who were automatically dismissed from their posts as school principal by the Principal Assessment System of the Ministry of Education were given only half a day to make 10 new appointment decisions, stirring strong reactions.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Education sent an official letter to former school principals who were demoted to teaching positions and received a mark of 75 or more on their assessment cards, asking them to submit their choices to the human resource departments of district bureaus before noon on Friday. The educators have maintained that this process cannot begin until all the interviews have been conducted. The interviews will be held on Sept. 18-22.

Turkish Education Personnel Union (Türk Eğitim-Sen) İzmir Provincial Manager Merih Demir said this haste is not understandable, since the interviews, which have not been completed, would effectively be a second chance for the demoted principals.

The official document forcing educators to make their appointment preferences in a very short period of time evidently reveals that the fate of the discarded principals has already been sealed, he said, claiming that the Ministry of Education seems to be blocking the possibility of the demoted principals' return to their former positions. “It [the Ministry of Education] assumes that it will rid itself of legal obligations by dispatching such notifications. But we have not lost our hope for justice despite all these unlawful practices. We certainly believe that the courts will [decide to] halt them,” Demir told reporters.

A law passed in March of this year ruled that all school principals who had held their position for four or more years would automatically be dismissed. The new appointments were designed to be carried out with the Ministry of Education regulating new administrator assignments through a method using surveys, assessment reports and exams to determine the new principals' placements.

Education unions have sought the reinstitution of the dismissed principals through nationwide demonstrations and lawsuits, maintaining that the radical steps the government has taken intends to assert political influence through the educational system by choosing educators who are members of the pro-government Education Personnel Labor Union (Eğitim Bir-Sen) and purging people that lean towards opposing political views to the government.

Principals burn letters of appreciation

Meanwhile, protests throughout Turkey by members of several education unions continue unabated. They claim that the government's politics-oriented meddling in the appointment process is a blatant disregard of the conventional merit-based system. On Thursday, a group of Türk Eğitim-Sen members staged a demonstration in front of the Ümraniye District Office of the Ministry of Education in İstanbul, burning letters of appreciation that the ministry had granted to them in the past. The experience and performance of the administrators are completely ignored in these new appointments, which will cause deeper polarization in the education system, the educators said during the protests.

Nesimi Alpkılıç, the former principal of Ümraniye Central Anatolia High School, told Today's Zaman that the government's reshuffling of the judiciary and police following a corruption probe that was made public on Dec. 17 last year has spread to the education system as well. “A district manager who arrived just four months ago assessed us, and believe me, he doesn't even know who we are. He gave me 68 points and marked me 'unsuccessful.' Those who have called me 'successful' in the past are now marking me 'unsuccessful',” he said.

Mustafa Çek, an educator with 20 years of experience, said they were protesting against "injustice and irregularities, not the demotions.”

Türk Eğitim-Sen İstanbul Third District Manager Ali İhsan Hasanpaşaoğlu told the press during the protest in Ümraniye that the new principals are being appointed based on their proximity to political authorities and their membership in pro-government education unions, instead of being chosen out of educators who have spent many years with proven success in teaching. This will cause public indignation, he stated.

Minister praised, ministry demoted

Erdinç Çağlar, the former principal of Ankara Sincan Provincial Assembly Intermediary School, was one of the principals who lost their posts in the latest wave of dismissals, with 59 points in the assessment. During his eight-year service, he was rewarded with a bonus amounting to one month's salary, a certificate of excellence from the governor's office, a certificate of appreciation from the Ministry of Education, two certificates of excellence and three certificates of achievement from the district governor, one certificate of appreciation from the Ministry of Education's provincial bureau and three certificates of appreciation from the Ministry of Education's Sincan district bureau. He also received 15 certificates by attending in-service seminars, courses and workshops. He was ranked second in Sincan in terms of "overall quality management" and was rewarded with a symbolic white flag for his school's level of hygiene, along with various rewards for environmental and nutrition programs. His school was the first institution to successfully employ the Movement to Increase Opportunities and Technology (FATİH) project, and he was praised by the education minister and the Ministry of Education's undersecretary.