Children's Classic Book Faces Investigation in Turkey

The national education ministry launched a disciplinary investigation on a secondary school teacher for giving reading assignment from Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos' masterpiece "My Sweet Orange Tree".

The teacher facing disciplinary investigation, whose name was not disclosed by ministry officials, worked as literature teacher in Behiye Doktor Nevhiz Işıl Secondary School in Istanbul. The reading assignment was reported to be to given to measure students' performance.

The ministry launched the investigation upon a parent's complaint that the book included obscene content, rude language and a plot that unsuited Turkish morals and values. The investigation inquired why the aforementioned teacher gave reading assignment from My Sweet Orange Tree.

My sweet orange tree, a children's classics title, is enlisted in Turkish National Education Ministry's 100 Basic Readings. The book was written in 1968, telling the story of Zeze from a poor family.

The investigation engendered harsh criticism including Barış Uluocak, an educators' union chair, who held ministry officials responsible for launching an investigation before checking the ministry reading list.

"While the ministry silently allows several publications from religious cults with no scientific background, a children's classic book is facing investigation in Turkey. With this, we can observe the current conjuncture in the ministry."

Uluocak also said that the parent's complaint completely ignored the pedagogical message when Zeze insulted in the story. (NV)