What Boundaries Did Turkish Schools Cross?

Last week we had discussed about journalist Fehmi Koru’s views on Prime Minister’s attack and boycott call to educational institutes established by Gulen inspired people. Koru, who is well-known by his close relationship to the president and the PM had stated that PM’s approach to these institutes are unacceptable. This week, Ak Party government went even further and ordered Turkish ambassadors not to attend Turkish Olympiads taking place in their countries, according to the news of Today’s Zaman Daily which basis their news on two ambassadors whose names undeclared.

Education is sacred. Teachers, especially Gulen inspired teachers, not only light up the minds of children but they also purify their hearts. I am well aware of this fact because many of my friends have become teachers serving kids of different culture and ethnicity. While they teach natural and social sciences to develop their analytical thinking and interpretation skills; they also help students attain high moral values by offering courses like character education as well as representing/living these values. I even know engineers decided to become teachers for the sake of sacredness of this profession even though they knew that they would have much less salary.

I remember once vice PM Arinc telling how an ambassador reacted when he told the ambassador that he was assigned to Ulan Bator, Mongolia. That ambassador was shocked and dropped the tea glass in his hand. Arinc indeed told this story a few years ago in a Turkish Olympiad organization to emphasize the altruism and devotion of these teachers. Not only Arinc but many ministers and representatives of Ak Party were praising those teachers who voluntarily go abroad to represent and offer the values they possess. It is a well-known phenomenon that people living abroad are representatives of their country.

It is reported by columnist Okan Muderrisoglu that Foreign Minister Davutoglu said “… if the schools had remained within their boundaries, there wouldn’t be any discrimination” according to a news on Today’s Zaman Daily. However, evidence for such a radical decision and order is not provided. As a commenter asked on the news page, millions wonder “what boundaries did they cross?”

I recently came across with a short video clip listing the claims of some AKP leaders about the existence of evidences (documents and video records) on five different issues. They seem very confident in their assertion of possessing the evidences and they even state that they will pass them to judiciary very soon. Some of these speeches were given months ago, yet none of those so-called evidences appeared anywhere but their arguments. Again, millions wonder “what boundaries did Turkish schools cross?”