Following some news reports distorting the statements of Minister Avcı published in some media circles, Minister Avcı stated, “Education didn’t turn into a scratch board, some of my statements were selected and used out of its context, distorted by some media circles into different meanings.”

“They are tweezing a single word and building a different point of view around this word.” 

Minister Avcı said he sometimes uses humoristic statements to make a point adding that, ”Unfortunately, I saw that some media circles are tweezing a single word and building a different point of view around this word.”

“We have to make some suitable amendments; this does not mean that  education is turned into a scratch board”

Noting that he had attended a Symposium entitled “The Teacher of the Future” Organized by the Union of Private Schools in Antalya Minister Avcı made the following statement:

 “While discussing the issue, I mentioned that the future is a big uncertainty, important developments are taking place in the whole World especially in the education field, education technologies are going through a rapid transition and the speed of this transition is gradually decreasing. Due to these reasons, new applications are launched in the field of education but they go through a constant change and continue to change rapidly and I added that, “They have been saying that the education has turned into a scratch board, look the same is valid in the World, too.” I meant that people are saying in Turkey that education has turned into a scratch board and vice versa when they are referring to the changes experienced in the education field, we are trying to explain that while the whole World is going through a change, we must keep pace with the developments and harmonize our education system to them. Due to this reason, nothing can remain constant; we have to follow these rapid developments. This is our mission. The Ministry of National Education as well as other state institutions should follow these changes and make necessary amendments in order to fulfill the demands of the country in the best way possible; this does not mean this is a scratch board.”

Minister Avcı during today’s speech in Antalya had noted that if he is to talk about the scratch board example, education all over the World is going through a constant transition especially in terms of the education process based on age groups and gender as well as models concerning the financing the education. ”If we are going to talk about a scratch board, we see it in education all over the World. Turkey is not an exception, if we fail to make necessary changes, we fail to fulfill our mission,” Minister Avcı stated.

Citing laptop computers, recording devices and cell phones, Minister Avcı said, “Nobody is saying that communications has turned into a scratch board, how nice it was to carry 40 kilogram TV cameras while we working in the past. You (journalists) are keeping pace with the developments in your profession. We are doing the same in education.”

Minister Avcı stated that considering how new technologies can be used in education, implementation of new education models in different education institutions, reorganization of the curriculum, investigating the ways to raise more qualified teachers, making use of distant education opportunities do not mean that education had turned into a scratch board.

Stressing that failure in adapting to these developments would mean failure in fulfilling in their mission, Minister Avcı said, “Saying that you never change anything, everything shall remain the same means that they are happy with the current situation of education, they don’t want us to change a thing and they wish that everything would remain the same.”

“We see and know that such moves have been going on systematically and intensively in the last two years.”

“Education did not turn into a scratch board, this was not what I meant but especially some sections of the media, let me openly name it as the parallel media (media controlled by the Gülen movement), select some of my words and report it out of  context in order to distort my statements. Tiniest trouble experienced in education such as a broken window at a village in (eastern city) Van, collapsed wall of a school in Nevşehir (central Anatolian city), in other words, a few tiny issues which can be easily solved are reported under the headline such as “The desperate situation of education” or “Turkish national education system collapsed” and is used as a propaganda and disinformation tool. We see and know that such moves have been going on systematically and intensively in the last two years.”

“A certain circle is using these news reports in order to discredit the Ministry of National Education and the performance of the Ministry, accordingly. This was one of them. They claimed that the Minister of National Education confessed that education in Turkey has turned into a scratch board. This was not what I said, I meant to say that just like other sectors, education is changing rapidly and it is among the sectors witnessing the most rapid change, in accordance with this fact, education in the whole World is going through a transition. Every change urges the birth of a new field in education. This is what happens in the World and it is the same in Turkey, too. If the Minister of National Education says sick teachers should not go to school, this media circle will give the news report as the Minister of National Education calls on teachers not to go to school. This situation is out of control.”

Teacher appointments

Answering a question about teacher appointments, Minister Avcı noted that a new amendment in the regulations lifted the 40 years age barrier for appointments.

“The rights of teacher candidates who were eligible for appointments but were not appointed especially during the February 28 (the 1997 military intervention period) process were violated. We have lifted the condition of being below 40 years old in order to be appointment thus we ended this injustice. Every teacher candidate can apply for appointment,” Minister Avcı stated.

Minister Avcı while responding to questions, “Can you give us the details of a formula aiming at bringing separated teacher couples together in one city?,” said the Ministry is working in an effort to bring spouses together and they have achieved this in the case of  many couples.

“Let’s say that there is no vacant position in either of the cities and we could not appoint a spouse to the city where the other spouse lives, we would appoint both of them to the neighboring cities, districts, if both spouses approve this solution. We are announcing the vacant positions. Let’s say there is vacant position for both spouse in Nevşehir while one of the spouse is living in Konya and the other in Samsun. They can demand to be appointed to Nevşehir and we would bring them together in Nevşehir.”