Ministry of Education Launches Investigation into Booing of Children with Autism

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At the Merkez Mehmetçik Primary School in Aksaray, a group of parents have requested that the classrooms for autistic children be closed.

Coming together in front of the school shortly before the students left the school in the evening, the parents booed the children with autism and their parents. The incident has caused public outrage after the videos featuring the booing have been shared on social media and by the press.

'Authorities do not take measures'

Sedef Erken, the Chair of İstanbul Autism Volunteers Association, has also condemned the incident on Twitter. "I wish that you could be humans a little and use this unity and strength of yours for something useful", Erken has said and underlined that the authorities do not take measures:

"The officers of Ministry of National Education, who have to enforce the law... The officers of the Ministry of National Education, who have left our children at the mercy of other parents... Stand up from these seats of yours, go to those schools and fulfill your responsibilities. Or, your salaries that you take every month thanks to the taxes that we pay will not be halal for you."

Neriman Gün, the Chair of Aksaray Autism Solidarity Association, has also spoken to bianet about the incident. Gün has indicated that the families in the region are not the kind of people who would discriminate against children with autism, adding that families were agitated.

She has also stated the incident took place after it was rumored that other students would be sent to the schools in the vicinity as the number of children with autism receiving education at the school has increased.

Investigation by Ministry of National Education

In response to these surging reactions against the incident, the Ministry of National Education released a statement today (November 7) and announced that an inspection and investigation have been launched into the incident by the inspectors of the ministry.

Shortly after the press reported on the issue, the Governorship of Aksaray also released a written statement. Informing the public that Aksaray Merkez Mehmetçik Primary School has 32 classrooms and 334 students, including 42 special education students, the Governorship stated that "the news of 'autistic children were booed in Aksaray' did not reflect the truth." (AÖ/SD)