Ruling AKP lawmakers voice objection to prep schools closure

Although Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has already voiced his resolve to close private examination prep schools, known as “dershanes,” some lawmakers from his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have raised their objections toward the move.

Education Minister Nabi Avcı informed AKP lawmakers on Nov. 26 of the government’s plans to close down the prep schools in a closed-door parliamentary group meeting, in an attempt to allay any possible concerns stemming from the reforms. The AKP will hold a second meeting to further inform lawmakers over the issue soon.

“Minister, your explanations did not satisfy me. Closing down prep schools is against free competition. The model you recommend will not solve the problem. We have to increase the quality of education first. Transforming the prep schools into private schools without reforming the education system is problematic. This regulation should be postponed until after local elections [March 2014],” AKP Karaman deputy Mevlüt Akgün was quoted by sources as saying during the closed-door meeting.

Akgün previously declared that he would object a prospective bill that paved the way for the closure of prep schools.

Along with Akgün, eight other AKP lawmakers have publicized their stance against the plans for the prep schools. including: Kütahya deputy İdris Bal, Bursa deputy Hüseyin Şahin, Burdur deputy Hami Yıldırım, Manisa deputy Muzaffer Yurttaş, Istanbul deputy Hakan Şükür, Muş deputy Muzaffer Çakar, İzmir deputy İlhan İşbilen and Kayseri deputy Ahmet Öksüzkaya.

Some of them are known to be close to the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s movement, which is at odds with the government over their plans for the schools.

In his explanations to the AKP lawmakers in the Nov. 26 meeting, Education Minister Avcı repeated remarks he made publicly relating to the issue, saying that prep schools will either be transformed into private schools, private, open-education high schools, free public education centers or free study centers.

Former Interior Minister and Istanbul Deputy Abdülkadir Aksu reportedly suggested that the education system should be reviewed and the issue should be discussed in a holistic manner. Another Istanbul Deputy, Mehmet Domaç, for his part, favored the closure of the prep schools, stressing said that they should not allow the issue to turn into a topic of internal rift within the party by explaining reasons for the move, the AKP sources told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Former Culture Minister and İzmir Deputy Ertuğrul Günay reportedly suggested that such issues should go public following adequate internal debate.

Some other deputies recommended long-range and detailed discussion for the issue, calling for a postponement until after local elections, sources said. Avcı reportedly noted all questions of lawmakers and said that they could discuss the issue at a second meeting soon. However, an exact date was not set for the second meeting.

Uneasiness with Şükür

AKP’s deputy parliamentary group chair Mahir Ünal, speaking with a group of journalists on Nov. 26, didn’t hide his party’s uneasiness over public objection by AKP deputy Şükür over the issue. Şükür, an ex-soccer player known to be close to the Gülen movement, voiced his objection to the move through messages posted on his Twitter account.

“Of course, Hakan Şükür has stated his views about private prep schools,” Ünal said. “Stating one’s views is something; and making statements against the party policies which are formed through joint decision of the party and making a habit of it is something else. These should be separated from each other. We haven’t made any notification to our deputies not to speak about private prep schools,” Ünal added.

Published on Hurriyet Daily News, 26 November 2013, Tuesday