The official education associations (secondary, basic, vocational, and technical) announced a temporary return to teaching during a meeting, while confirming a sit-in next Wednesday in front of the Ministry of Education. They issued a statement in which they considered that "the dignity of teachers is a sacred sign from God, engraved in the hearts of generations, untouched by hardships and crises, and that union work is a continuous struggle against the ruling authority, which bears the responsibility of preserving what remains of the social welfare state and upholding the dignity of citizens, with public sector employees, especially those in the official education sector, as the top priority."
They called for "restoring the functioning of constitutional institutions through the election of a president of the republic and the formation of a rescue government for the dignity of the citizen, so that we may demand and reclaim the rights that have been squandered on the altar of corruption and sectarianism." They asserted that "any incentives, benefits, salaries, or allowances are merely patchwork in light of the dysfunction of state institutions, and the only solution is a new salary scale that restores a dignified life for the teacher and employee."
They questioned: "Is it reasonable for customs taxes to be based on a rate of 15,000, while transportation allowances, family compensation, spousal allowances, educational grants, and other benefits are still calculated at a rate of 1,500, while the salary is at a rate of 4,500 lira?"
They demanded the "continuation of efforts to raise the value of incentives by following up on communications and relying on meetings between the Minister of Education and ambassadors from various countries before the end of this month, awaiting the assistance and solutions they might provide; the prompt resolution of the health insurance issue for teachers to cover the difference in healthcare provided by the state employees' cooperative; immediate determination of the new transportation allowance that corresponds to the change in fuel prices; an urgent appointment with the Prime Minister given that the allocations are secured in the budget reserve; defining a special Sayrafa platform rate for public sector salaries, separate from the commercial trading platform rate; and ensuring that donor countries support the funds for schools and technical institutes (vocational education) in their assistance schedules, as they do for public schools and secondary schools."
The associations announced a "temporary return to teaching to try to preserve what remains of official education and called for a central sit-in in front of the Ministry of Education next Wednesday at 11 AM to express rejection of the humiliation that has befallen teachers. They will keep their meetings open, in parallel with their administrative bodies, to follow up on implementing the items and demands mentioned and will act according to the circumstances at each phase."
