Fethullah Gülen sends message to Turkish president over prep school closure

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has sent a message to President Abdullah Gül protesting the closure of "dershanes," or private prep schools, according to the editor of herkul.org, a website that broadcasts his speeches.

"These institutions are the work of the nation. They should not close, but serve the nation," Gülen said, according to herkul.org editor Osman Şimşek, who posted the statements on Twitter after getting confirmation from Gülen.

"It doesn't matter who manages these institutions, as long as they serve the nation," Gülen added.

The debate over private examination prep schools has been growing, with Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç saying the government would reevaluate its work on the controversial closure plans. Arınç also said the government believed that prep schools would ultimately no longer be necessary in the new education system.

Education Minister Nabi Avcı has also said the government’s latest moves on the schools were designed to regulate and transform the institutions rather than close them, amid a strong reaction from education circles and Gülen’s followers

Published on Hurriyet Daily News, 19 November 2013, Tuesday