A sense of insecurity and trauma has gripped the city of Maraş following an Apr 15 school shooting that left nine people dead, leading parents to hesitate in sending their children back to classes. The shooting followed another attack in Urfa just a day earlier, where 16 people were wounded.
İsmail Tekardıç, the Maraş branch chair of the Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim Sen), spoke to bianet about the atmosphere in the city, the reactions during funerals, and the condition of school staff following the recent attack.
'Great trauma'
Tekardıç described the local sentiment as a "great trauma" developing among the public, children, and the education community. He noted that a serious lack of trust has emerged after the shooting.
"Many parents called the high school where I teach on Monday. They said they were uneasy and hesitant to send their children to school. As a teacher, I could not say with peace of mind: 'Send your children to school, there will be no problem.' I could not say that sentence. I told the parents that it was their discretion," Tekardıç said.
Nine killed in second school shooting in Turkey in two days
Tekardıç stated that the reactions voiced during the funerals did not receive sufficient coverage in mainstream media.
He mentioned that Education Minister Yusuf Tekin was met with protests at the funeral of the murdered teacher. "When two female teachers reacted by saying 'we do not want to be killed,' the minister responded by saying 'you are putting on a show.' This response deeply saddened our education community. We were there to share the pain of our colleague and to ensure such incidents do not happen again, but the minister perceived it as a show. We condemn him for this," Tekardıç said. He added that families also showed reactions toward officials during the funeral services at the Abdülhamit Han Mosque yesterday.
Social climate
Regarding the staff at the school where the attack occurred, Tekardıç said it has become difficult to reach them. "I could only reach some of them because they are in a very difficult psychological state and have turned off their phones," he said.
Tekardıç emphasized that Maraş is still suffering from heavy social and physical destruction following the previous earthquake. He argued that the shooting has exacerbated this vulnerability.
"While we were still healing from the pain of the earthquake and those we lost, the incident we experienced a few days ago added insult to injury. The city, especially the center, has turned into a construction site. Children pass through these sites every day to reach their schools, seeing the remains of the earthquake. Some still live in container cities. I am not sure about the process from now on when this trauma is added on top," Tekardıç said.
He called for urgent professional support for children's mental health, stating that psychologists, psychiatrists, and guidance counselors must intervene.
Tekardıç concluded that the solution lies not only in school security but in the social climate. "A child sees violence in the society they live in and grows up with it. In a sense, we as a society bring the child to that state," he said. (NÖ/VK)
