Educators strike across Turkey in wake of teacher’s murder
The recent killing of a high school principal in İstanbul has sparked a nationwide one-day strike among educators demanding better security measures.
İbrahim Oktugan, 74, the principal of a private high school in İstanbul, was fatally shot on May 7 by a student who blamed him for his expulsion.
Members of several educators’ unions, including Eğitim Sen, Eğitim İş, Töb-Sen and Private Sector Teachers Union, as well as unions generally supporting the government’s policies like Eğitim Bir-Sen and Türk Eğitim-Sen, have joined the strike across various provinces.
The protests commenced a day before, when unionized teachers refused to attend the first class of the day and staged demonstrations in various locations.
In Ankara, the capital, educators gathered outside the Ministry of National Education today, chanting, "The teachers are here, where is the minister?" They then began marching towards the parliament.
“Not an isolated incident”
Deniz Ezer, chair of Töb-Sen, asserted that the latest incident was not isolated but was the result of years-long policies. “I’d like to emphasize that it is the result of the government’s policy of discrediting teachers, which has been going on for years. The cycle of violence towards teachers has come to this point gradually,” he told Sol Haber.
Ali Yalçın, the President of Memur-Sen and Eğitim Bir-Sen, shared a similar opinion, saying that "incidents of violence against education workers have ceased to be isolated" and have become "a widespread social issue."
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"Preventing deliberate and unlawful acts leading to death, injury, and harm falls under the obligation of the state within the framework of the right to life principle, as enshrined in international law and the constitution,” he said.
Teachers urgently demand "the implementation of deterrent exclusively punitive measures against incidents of violence targeting education workers, as well as the enactment of legal regulations that provide legal protection for the victimized worker,” he added.
The demonstration in Ankara:
CAN GÜVENLİĞİMİZ İÇİN İŞ BIRAKIYORUZ! https://t.co/pxSPVkOAFl
— Eğitim Sen (@egitimsen) May 10, 2024
(AÖ/VK)