‘A child cannot be deprived of education because she doesn't wear a uniform’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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After a high school student was allegedly prevented by the school principal from entering her school in southeastern Diyarbakır province because she did not wear a uniform, the Diyarbakır Bar Association's Children's Rights Center has released a statement about the issue.

While the Bar Association has underlined that "children cannot be denied their right to education", the father said that he cannot afford to buy a uniform, adding that when he called the Provincial Directorate of National Education, he was told that there should not be such a case.

The 14-year-old high school student said that the school principal did not allow her in the school because she was not wearing a uniform. She said that after the national anthem was sung and the ceremony ended, the principal said, "Those with a uniform in, those without one out." Then, the school principal sent away several students, including her.

Speaking about the incident, the father said that he did not have the financial means to buy a uniform, adding that when he called the Provincial Directorate of National Education, he was told that there should not be such a case. Eyüp Uçak, the District Director of National Education, announced that "the necessary probe would be launched" into the incident.

Against this backdrop, the Children's Rights Center of the Diyarbakır Bar Association has released the following statement:

"Right to education is a Constitutional right, which is also guaranteed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. As required by the relevant legislation, no one shall be denied the right to education; states are obligated to oversee equality of opportunity in the exercise of this right.

"We do not accept that in a state which has embraced the principle of social state, a child is deprived of education because she does not have a uniform. Education has an undeniable importance for children's self development and improvement and building of a future in a healthy manner.

"The poverty-based inequality in education, a chronic problem of the country, has become deeper with the onset of the pandemic and several children have been deprived of their right to education for this reason. Recalling that no child shall be denied the right to education, we call on the relevant authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure that all children exercise their right to education in an equal manner." (AÖ/SD)