There has been another upgrade to the national education curriculum in Turkey. Among these changes, philosophy lessons have been reduced and the single-party rule applied to classes in the 1940s have been cut. The latest coup attempt has been added under philosophy and the social sciences.
On 16 January, the Ministry of National Education announced the new education curricula for secondary and high schools in Turkey.
The national curriculum has been a recurring topic of debate in Turkey for decades. It has always been controversial, given that all governments and political bodies have wanted to reinvent the educational system in the ideological image of the ruling party.
The number of chapters in the philosophy course books has been generally reduced, while keeping political philosophy and philosophy of science. According to the new curriculum, class hours will remain the same at 72 hours per term, while the expected learning outcome for philosophy has been slashed from 58 to 20 points on Turkeys assessment scale.
This major reduction of philosophys significance in the curriculum echoes the debate from a few years ago on the possibility of studying philosophy in the modern Turkish language. Recep Tayyip Erdoan, the prime minister at the time, said that this was inadequate, insisting that one needs to use the Ottoman Turkish, which borrows the alphabet and most of its vocabulary from Arabic and Persian, or English in order to study philosophy.
If we were to teach philosophy for 20 years, it would be a different country.
Istanbul-born philosopher and President of Philosophical Society of Turkey, Ioanna Kuuradi, said We make philosophy but he does not recognise us as philosophers. In an interview with Szc in March 2016, Kuuradi claimed that ignorance is at root of Turkeys current social and moral crises and that they could be overcome through proper philosophical education: If we were to teach philosophy for 20 years, it would be a different country.
A pro-government conservative education union, Eitim Bir-Sen, recently proposed the removal of Ataturkism, the official ideology describing the founding principles of modern Turkey, from the social sciences curriculum, and starting religious education at first grade.
While Eitim Bir-Sens proposal on compulsory religion classes for first grade students was not introduced, Ataturkism has indeed been scrapped, and the principle of encouraging the observance of religious holidays adopted. In line with the spirit of Eitim Bir-Sens proposal, Darwin & Evolution Theory was also purged from the school syllabus. It had been a controversial matter in Turkey for some time, especially since the Turkish Science Institutes prohibition of publications about evolution.
The new approach will now rely on values education, e.g. the notions of national unity & solidarity as well as national, moral and universal values. The new curriculum refers to values education as having a cultural impact, claiming that it is significant in turning these values into new norms and daily behaviours for society in the future. As part of the new elective course for secondary schools Basic Religious Teachings, jihad will be taught as part of religious values. Positivism and secularism will be categorised under the Problems of Faith chapter, dedicated to the promotion of individualism and the separation of state and religion. Also under the problems of faith heading, students will be taught about deism, agnosticism, atheism, nihilism, satanism, reincarnation and false prophets.
The coup attempt on 15 July 2016, which had a major impact on social and educational life in Turkey, has also been brought into the curriculum. Students will start learning about the coup attempt starting at sixth grade as a part of social science and philosophy classes. However, it is not certain whether previous coups will be referred to in the same classes.
At high school level, the students will now be asked to write essays on Social Resistance against the Anti-Democratic 15 July Coup Attempt within the framework of national-will, rule of law, and democratic understanding. National Will is a common reference in AKP (the ruling Justice and Development Party) campaigns, referring to the strong support behind the party in elections.
Contemporary Turkish and World History classes that focus on World War II will no longer refer to the anti-war efforts of Ismet Inonu, the president of the republic at the time and leader of the single-party CHP (Republican Peoples Party) regime. Nor will it refer to his contributions to Turkeys political and economic activities in the 1940s. Inonu was a general during Turkeys War of Independence, a friend of the founder of republic and was declared National Chief during World War II, while keeping Turkey out of the war at all costs. As Inonus efforts at neutrality are being erased from history books, the transition to a multi-party system and the history of the Democrat Party is put under the spotlight.
The class on contemporary history, which has a chapter on the Cold War Period, will now include topics on Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Developments in Turkey during the Time of the Democrat Party. This in itself was a controversial period, with the start of a multi-party system that brought about the grasp of power by the Adnan Menderes government, starting in 1946. The new topic will focus on the election systems that were initiated in this period, which was heavily criticised for authoritarian tendencies and gerrymandering, due to the Democrat Partys post-election downgrading of urban entities that did not predominantly vote for the ruling party.
The revised educational curriculum will honour Turkish citizens that have had international success. High school chemistry books will now have a topic on Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar in the chapter on Relations between Inter Chemical Species with his Nobel Prize-winning study on DNA-repair. Contemporary History will include Galatasarays winning of the UEFA Cup in 2000, as well as the national football teams finishing third in the World Cup.
Rewriting the history books from a centre-right political perspective only replaces the existing problems with new ones.
Students will be informed about scientific and technological developments in Turkey, about its satellite programme and communications technologies.
While the new curriculum is being championed by some media outlets in Turkey as the new system that will generate geniuses and inventors, many critical eyes see the decreasing presence of philosophy in the curriculum and hostile approach to secularism and positivism as a problem.
Even though the AKPs efforts to erase ideological traces from national education may appear to modernise the education system through a more results-oriented approach, rewriting the history books from a centre-right political perspective only replaces the existing problems with new ones.
**
This piece was originally published on Katoikos.eu
Read more from the original source:
How Does the New Turkish Curriculum Look Like? Conservative Changes Dominate - PoliticalCritique.org
- The terrible evil of the witch and the satanist - American Thinker - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- The Blood on Satan's Claw: unearthing the locations for the witchy ... - British Film Institute - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Here's how many modern day witches and Satanists are living in Southend - Yahoo News UK - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- When the Satanists Moved In - The Smart Set - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Letters: Boris Johnson and co must not be allowed to get off scot-free - HeraldScotland - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Toil and Trouble Misunderstood: Rise in witchcraft forces a rethink of ... - Frederick News Post - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- The Religion of Sexual Humanism - Answers In Genesis - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- The rise of the French Intifada - The Spectator - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Who/what is Baphomet? - GBTIMES - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- What is a heathen? - GBTIMES - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- Why Israel Treats Its Prisoners Of War With Dignity -By Joe Dauda - Opinion Nigeria - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- Sunday School Scapegoats: How D&D And Heavy Metal Became ... - FANGORIA - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Age of Democracy Ushered in the Age of Degeneracy - The New American - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Yule - Wikipedia - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- The Satanic Bible - Wikipedia - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Pentagram - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Wicca - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Early Norwegian black metal scene - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Satanic panic - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Black Sun (symbol) - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- The Occult and Satanism in America - The American TFP - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Satan - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Witch trials in the early modern period - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Left-hand path and right-hand path - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Putin Accuses West of Satanism and Announces Annexations in ... - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Putin Annexation Speech: The Russian Leader's Denunciations of Western Imperialism Are Hypocritical - Foreign Policy - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Earth religion - Wikipedia - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs - Church of Satan - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Lucis (Lucifer) Trust Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Modern Witchcraft: It May Not Be What You Think - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Celebrities involved in Satanism, who are they? - Legit.ng - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Satanism | occult practice | Britannica - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Albert Pike Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- Demon Names and how to Identify them Exposing Satanism ... - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The Anatomy of Satanism in Hollywood - James True - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- The All Seeing Eye and the Occult Meaning - Exposing Satanism - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- 10 Forms Of Satanism That Exist Around The World - Listverse - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- Frank Zappas favourite books about the occult - Far Out Magazine - July 16th, 2021 [July 16th, 2021]
- Is False Positive a True Story? Is the Hulu Movie Based on Real Life? - The Cinemaholic - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- Satanism - Founders, Philosophies & Branches - HISTORY - June 15th, 2021 [June 15th, 2021]
- Music Styles Live and Die, But Rock is Forever Heres Why - Music Mayhem Magazine - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- The Deification of Donald J. Trump: The Prince of Pieces - The Good Men Project - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- Church of Satan and Satanism in Australia explained: from rituals to religion with the controversial group - 7NEWS.com.au - March 3rd, 2021 [March 3rd, 2021]
- Every Johnny Depp Movie Ranked From Worst to Best | Screen Rant - Screen Rant - February 14th, 2021 [February 14th, 2021]
- Far-right conspiracy QAnon surging in Europe as fanatics plot return of Nazi Reich and link Satanists to - The Sun - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- Satanic Temple Abortion Ritual Advertised on Miami Billboard - Miami New Times - January 1st, 2021 [January 1st, 2021]
- The Boomer Rock Renaissance 2020 Never Saw Coming - Vulture - December 26th, 2020 [December 26th, 2020]
- Modern Satanism | Spiral Nature Magazine - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- The Evolution of Modern Satanism in the United States - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- The Story Of Black Metal In 14 Songs Kerrang! - Kerrang! - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- Fact check: There is no evidence to support claims that Lady Gaga is a witch - USA TODAY - November 7th, 2020 [November 7th, 2020]
- BERNSTEIN: We live in two different Americas - RU Daily Targum - November 7th, 2020 [November 7th, 2020]
- The History Behind the Ouija Board is Both Pure and Evil - Nerdist - October 27th, 2020 [October 27th, 2020]
- What It Really Means To Be A Satanist - Kerrang! - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- Pittchcraft: The true history of Wicca and Witchcraft - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- 10 Bands Who Have Been Banned By The Church - Kerrang! - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- CHLOE WYMA ON THE ART OF AGNES PELTON - Artforum - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- A Modern Witch's Guide to Paris: Where to Find the Occult and Esoteric - Frenchly - February 4th, 2020 [February 4th, 2020]
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Conjures Up a Strong Season 3 - The Spool - January 27th, 2020 [January 27th, 2020]
- Best Documentaries of '19 - Fort Worth Weekly - January 17th, 2020 [January 17th, 2020]
- Sam Dunn: The Journey of the World's Most Famous Headbanger - Daily Hawker - January 17th, 2020 [January 17th, 2020]
- Fears Hampshire Horse Ripper has returned after 26 years and psycho culprit could be next Ian Brady - The Sun - January 14th, 2020 [January 14th, 2020]
- Occult symbols found on New Forest animals killed, and in church vandalism - The Wild Hunt - December 6th, 2019 [December 6th, 2019]
- Concert Review: Spinal Taps Derek Smalls Revives Mock-Rock at the Wiltern - Variety - November 11th, 2019 [November 11th, 2019]
- Curro pupil speaks: 'Stop the satanic panic, art is meant to provoke thought' - News24 - October 27th, 2019 [October 27th, 2019]
- Creepy countdown the 20 scariest horror movies of all time - NNY360 - October 27th, 2019 [October 27th, 2019]
- What does it mean to be a modern witch? 3 real-life witches share their experiences - Vogue India - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- Judas Priests Rob Halford: The metal community has always been inclusive, yet weve been kicked around like a football over the years - NME.com - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- The 20 scariest horror movies of all time - The Columbus Dispatch - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- What are the 20 scariest horror movies of all time? - Peoria Journal Star - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- I'm a founder of the Satanic Temple. Don't blame Satan for white supremacy. - Washington Post - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Wash Post column cheers Satan, jeers Christians - WND.com - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- The Devil's Cradle: The Story of Finnish Black Metal - The Gauntlet - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Court orders new trial in satanic sacrificial murder case - RT - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- We Asked Diehard Swedish Metalheads What They Consider to be 'Metal' - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- A Brief But Very Informative History of How Fascists Infiltrated Punk and Metal - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Why Some Christians Are Calling White Supremacy 'Satanic' - HuffPost - August 20th, 2017 [August 20th, 2017]
- Satanic Leader Calls Upon Christian America to Face Their Contribution to Racist Right - Patheos (blog) - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- The Wild Hunt | Tag Archive | paranormal investigation - The Wild Hunt - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- Nottinghamshire sees increase in Witchcraft complaints - The Wild Hunt - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]