DİYARBAKIR- Recently, assimilation policies in schools, particularly in the cities of Kurdistan have been at the highest level. A teacher drew star and crescent (symbol on Turkish flag) on forehead of students in Siirt province. Following the exile of about one thousand teachers, member of Eğitim Sen (Teachers’ Union) in Kurdistan region, the assimilation has entered to a different dimension.

 

An investigation was opened against 16,500 members of the Eğitim Sen (Teachers’ Union) months before the coup attempt on July 15. While 28,163 teachers were dismissed from their duties allegedly linked to the Gülenist movement (FETÖ) by Decree-Law 672 issued on September 1, 2016, 11, 285 teachers were suspended from their duties allegedly linked to PKK on September 8. Many suspended teachers were reinstated after the allegations against them had been unfounded. On August 29, 2017, about one thousand teachers were exiled from cities of Kurdistan to cities in Turkey.

 

Child athletes from Şırnak province were taken to Ordu province within the scope of “Bridge of Heart” project put into effect by the ruling power and they were dressed Turkish flagged t-shirts. Furthermore, a teacher wrote “I will not speak in Kurdish” on the wall of an elementary school and the children were banned to speak in Kurdish. The writing reading “I will not speak in Kurdish” attached on the wall of an elementary school in Şırnak was photographed and shared on social media.

 

Last night, another photo of assimilation taken in an elementary school in Karabağlar village of Siirt’s Kurtalan district came to light. The teacher in the school drew star and crescent (symbol on Turkish flag) on forehead of students and gave them Turkish flags and sent them to their homes. Parents, who erased the color on their children’s foreheads, stated that they don’t understand the teacher’s attitude and that the situation affects the children badly.