Industry Vocational High School literature teacher Kasim Siginc was reproached by the Directorate for writing for the local Haber 49 (News 49) newspaper allegedly having violated the Civil Servants Law. On grounds of his good behaviour and "clean record" the penalty was then changed to a caution.
The teacher was subject to investigation and the subsequent caution due to the views he expressed in an article titled "Egitim-Sen and Education in the Mother Tongue" published on March 27, 2006, and a subsequent statement he made to the Dicle News Agency where he claimed the "Mus National Education Directorate is operating like the office of a political party". Bianet learned that another teacher who also wrote for the local newspaper was cautioned too.
National Education Directorate deputy director Yavuz Icyer who called on the teacher to be more careful in the future was himself a columnist for the Aydin Mus newspaper which closed down. Icyer had filed for 10,000 YTL damages against the Haber 49 newspaper for its articles on the directorate and the case is due to be heard on July 7.
The developments come in the wake of a decree issued by the governor's office of Adiyaman to public institutions warning against writers of local newspapers who were contract employees of public offices or civil servants.
Article 657 of Turkey's Civil Servants Law bans civil servants from giving statements to newspapers, agencies, radio and televisions on their public duties. Article 125 of the same law states that a civil servant can be reproached in writing for any activity that will discredit that servant or erode confidence. (EO/TK/II/YE)
