It has become necessary to make the following statement after Cumhuriyet newspaper published a story headlined “Target Set By Bilal Reached in One Year” with the byline of Sinan Tartanoğlu.

The story published on the front page of the newspaper is a part of the smear and disinformation campaign conducted by the newspaper and its reporter against the Ministry of National Education. When one considers the quality and knowledge of the newspaper and the reporter regarding “educational journalism” one sees the fact that this campaign is clearly very weak and flimsy.

The report claims after the 12 year compulsory education which called the 4+4+4 system was adopted the number of students at the imam hatip (religious) secondary schools substantially increased. Yet since the new system was adopted the number of students attending all our secondary and high schools, vocational and technical schools have all increased in significant numbers.

Our Ministry will continue to display journalists and media organs who are following a systematic campaign against education also preserving the right to launch legal action against them.

We respectfully bring this to the attention of the public.

Press and Public Relations Department