Students of Turkey’s Islamic schools defined as ‘privileged’ in being accepted to police academy
Yeni öğretim yılında imam hatip liselerinin kontenjanlarını daha da artırmak için hazırlanan broşürde bu vaat kafaları karıştırdı. İlahiyat ve İslam ilimleri fakültelerinin geleceğin mesleği olacağı da belirtildiI
Turkey’s Ministry of Education and the Presidency of Religion Affairs (Diyanet) have launched a joint project this year in order to promote and encourage enrollment to the İmam-Hatip schools (vocational schools with an Islamic curriculum).
In a brochure recently distributed by the management of Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Anadolu İmam Hatip school, a note saying ‘the graduates of İmam Hatip schools will have a privilege of getting into the police academy’ caught the eyes.
According to report of Saygı Öztürk from Turkey’s opposition newspaper Sözcü, the advantages students attending İmam Hatip schools will get were listed in the brochure as the following: becoming a young adult who is faithful and conscious; becoming a citizen who is devoted to the nation, homeland, and Islam; and, having a privilege of being in advantage in selection to higher education institutions and the police academy.
A statement in the brochure, where a reference to July 15 coup attempt was also made, said, ‘since mandatory courses on Religion and Morality Education will be increased to two lesson hours per week in all high schools in the country, theology and Islamic education will eventually become the leading fields in preparing students for future careers.
Secretary General of Turkey’s Eğitim Sen (Union of Education and Science Workers), Musa Akkaş, strongly reacted to the approach of officials and school managements to the issue and said ‘whoever is preparing this kind of brochure is actually damaging the name of İmam Hatip schools by firstly saying students will be educated with ‘love and consicousness’ and then asserting that they will be ‘favored over others’ when applying to military schools and police academy.’
Akkaş said: “So, what exactly is this ‘privilage’? Apparently, students from schools other than İmam Hatip schools do not have those privilages.”