23/02/2022 | Writer: Remzi Altunpolat
Today, Remzi Altunpolat examined "values education" in our #forequality file: The issue of antagonizing LGBTI+s is a constituent element of the AKP's gender regime.
Many different definitions of what education is have been made until today. According to the widely accepted definition in the mainstream educational sciences literature; “It is the process of creating a desired behavioral change in an individual’s behaviors through their own experience and intentionally.” The definition in question may seem neutral at first glance. However, it can be said that this definition, which seems scientific and neutral at first glance, ignores the power relations and the ideological character of education in the educational processes. Yet what is “desirable” within the given political power and social force relations? Who has the authority to separate desired behaviors from undesirable ones and to draw the line between these two? If education is an instrument shaped by power relations, it is obvious that the “process of creating intentional desired behavior change” will have a function that naturalizes, legitimizes and reproduces the (cis)male/(cis)female, heterosexual/non-heterosexual dichotomy which is social/ cultural constructs.[1] As a matter of fact according to Emile Durkheim who is one of the founding names of sociology; the social function of the educational establishment is to shape the abilities of individuals in line with the requirements of society. Education does this by means of transmitting society's norms and moral values to future generations. Thus, education will contribute to the provision of social order, stability and integrity.[2] Accordingly, it is possible to say that the current education fundamentally has a purpose, structure and operation that helps individuals to adopt dominant values and align with the system they live in.
Starting from the end of Turkey’s modernization until today, many studies have done and still continue revealing what kind of values individuals are trying to be equipped with through education in order to create acceptable citizens of the state. Within the framework of this article, without entering into details, we can state that different political subjects that dominate our established political life are read as an indispensable battleground in terms of actualizing the society project in their own imagination. In this context, the restructuring of education has always mattered to AKP, which aims to build a more conservative and more Islamic society instead of the laical/secular society project of the Republic. Since 2002 when came into power AKP has made many changes in the education system under the name of ‘reform’. To emphasize in short; AKP’s education policies were shaped around neoliberalism, conservatism and Islamism. The most important of the steps taken for this cause was that "values education" gradually gained importance in the system of education. Along with underline the values education on the curriculum change that made in 2005, values education was officially included in the curriculum with the First Lesson Circular in 2010. The main comprehensive change was made in 2017. Values education oriented curriculum was promulgated and textbooks were rewritten accordingly since 2017-2018 academic year for 1st, 5th and 9th grade, and for all levels since 2018-2019 academic year. It is aimed that students learn both universal and Turkish values with values education, which is offered not as a separate, independent course but integrated into the content of many courses.[3] At this point we can easily guess that the emphasis on universal values is only as a matter of form; the main emphasis was made for values of Turkish society, what is really wanted to be adopted is the default values of the “Muslim-Turkish society”. Values education is largely shaped around more religious, conservative and nationalist references based on the Islam-Turkish synthesis. Furthermore, in line with the protocols signed by religious Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs Administration, various Islamist foundations such as TÜRGEV or Ensar[4] were allowed to give seminars at schools on certain weeks within the scope of values education. On the other hand, values education is not limited to schools only, it extends to children and youth under institutional care with the protocols signed by the Religious Affairs Administration and the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. In the preface of the book "Values Education with Activities" written by the Religious Affairs Administration for children aged between 7 to 15, Ali Erbaş who is the head of institution explains the purpose of preparing this book as followed:
“National and religious values are the most important building blocks in the evolution of individuals and societies, in the shaping of civilizations and traditions. Ethical and humanitarian principles, which are at the center of religion, are an important factor in the formation of the identities and personalities of individuals and societies. These principles and values that guide people to reach the good, the right and the beautiful are the leaven of a peaceful society.
…….
In today’s world, protecting our children and youth from destructive movements and all kinds of addiction…Blending the youth with religious and moral values while building their identities and personalities…”[5]
This is the main motive why values education has meet due honour in Islamist and conservative circles, eulogies of values education: A generation that is blending with national, spiritual, religious and moral values. In the words of the President: “The religious generation, Asım’s generation”.
So, what is values education? According to the definition made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): "Educational efforts carried out for children and young people to discover and develop positive values and to progress according to their own potential”.[6] Like all definitions, this definition is also open to discussion. However, the reference to the potentials of children and young people should at least determine the content of values education through values that are universally accepted and include a number of concepts such as being scientific, democracy, egalitarianism and participation; ignoring differences, not being exclusionary and marginalizing. As a matter of fact, values education is given under different names in many countries of the world today. For example, while the concepts such as democracy, human rights, peace and public welfare in values education come to the forefront in Sweden's education curriculum, in Turkey these concepts are included but it has been revealed that national and moral values are bring to the fore. [7]
Such strong references to our "national, moral and moral values", "customs and traditions" further reinforce traditional gender norms. The set of values that state that people are created as men and women, that men and women are different from each other by nature, that they are obliged to establish a family and ensure the continuity of the generation, and that other life or relationship forms are contrary to nature, will bring along the declaration of LGBTI+s as deviant. For this reason, in the message sent to school principals from the Ministry of National Education, after the children who stayed at home when distance education started at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, hung the rainbow pictures they drew on the windows; “This is an LGBTI project. The rainbow is their symbol. Let's not be an instrument to these perverts." is, in a way, a photograph of the values on which the AKP wants to shape education policies and society. Already, cis heteronormative education which rises on the binary gender system, excludes LGBTI+ identities from the official discourse of the school, makes them invisible and creates barriers to self consciousness, has almost solidified with the wider coverage of values education in the curriculum. From this point forth, it is essential to put the discrimination of LGBTI+s in education as one of their permanent and priority agendas with the scientific-democratic-public education struggle against the AKP's dream of creating a religious/conservative/Islamic society through education. Because the issue of antagonizing LGBTI+s is a constituent element of the AKP's gender regime.
Translation: Merve Engür
*This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Kaos GL Association and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Tags: human rights, education
