Lawsuit filed in row over Ramadan school program

ANKARA

Education Minister Yusuf Tekin said on Feb. 25 that a lawsuit has been filed against a public declaration defending secularism issued following the ministry’s Ramadan-themed school directive, as debate over the policy intensified.

“It is our duty to create an educational environment where our children internalize our values. What we are doing is in accordance with our laws and constitution,” Tekin told reporters in parliament.

The controversy stems from a Feb. 12 circular issued by the Education Ministry outlining a series of school activities centered on the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

According to the guidelines, preschool and primary school students will participate in teacher-guided mosque visits to observe Ramadan traditions firsthand, while middle and high school students will attend seminar series featuring invited experts holding discussions with students.

Amid growing public debate, a coalition of 168 artists, academics, journalists, lawyers and educators signed a manifesto titled “We Defend Secularism Together.”

"I took this step to protect the rights of our children and parents participating in these events," Tekin said. "We will see who is reactionary and bigoted. 168 people are categorizing a society that is 99 percent Muslim as a minority."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later defended the circular as "appropriate and legal," while Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the ruling bloc partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), also backed the move a day earlier.

Meanwhile, the Competition Board opened an investigation into 19 private schools following a preliminary inquiry into price increases in their fees. Prominent institutions including TED Ankara College, Uğur Schools and Bahçeşehir College are among those under investigation.