Within the scope of the “ÇEDES Projects”, the Ensar Foundation signed a protocol with the Ministry of Education to organize a quiz competition in Mersin focusing on moral, religious and social values. 

 

The foundation had previously been on the public agenda after a teacher sexually abused 45 boys staying at its dormitories in the province of Karaman between 2012 and 2015.

 

Reacting to the planned competition, Mahmut Sümbül, Chair of the Mersin Branch of the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim Sen), said that the ÇEDES projects not only enable religious orders and sects but also allow racist groups to enter schools by presenting them as being “for the public good.” 

 

Sümbül stated that children are subjected to various practices without the consent of their parents, adding that they do not find it appropriate for universal values such as morality and ethics to be imposed on children through competitions offering monetary prizes.

 

Sümbül stressed that the government is incorporating practices included in its own party program into the school curriculum. Pointing out that children are deprived of adequate material resources and face problems related to nutrition and hygiene, he added that despite this, the government allocates its budget to the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), religious orders and sects.

 

Drawing attention to what he described as improper practices in schools, Sümbül warned parents not to allow their children to participate in programs organized outside of school hours.

 

WHAT IS ÇEDES? 

 

ÇEDES is a project implemented by Turkey’s Ministry of National Education together with the Directorate of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, officially aiming to promote moral and social values among students.

 

The project has drawn criticism for introducing religious actors into public schools and for being seen as a violation of the principle of secular education.

 

MA / Abdulkadir Ayten - Mehmet Gules