Press Centre 2004/06/01: Girls’ Education
Emine Erdoğan: “Let’s fight the ignorance that sees women as second class citizens!”
İbrahim Asalioğlu for Zaman Newspaper, 1 June 2004
Ankara, 1 June 2004 -- Minister of National Education, Dr Hüseyin Çelik said today that mothers who send their daughters to school would receive cash support of 35,000,000TL per month. Present at the same gathering, Mrs Emine Erdoğan, the Prime Minister’s wife, asked for a fully-fledged mobilisation for the education of girls that would encompass all the cultural, religious and traditional dimensions of the issue.
Mrs Emine Erdoğan speaking at the Governors’ Meeting
Photograph © UNICEF Turkey 2004
A meeting was held in Ankara in support of the ongoing project launched jointly by the Ministry of National Education (MONE) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Governors from 33 provinces where the campaign is currently in progress took part. Other guests at the Dedeman Hotel included the Minister of Interior Abdülkadir Aksu, the UNICEF Representative in Turkey, Mr Edmond McLoughney and Dilek Sabancı, daughter of late Sakip Sabancı.
Mrs Erdoğan said that each citizen should do something to change the destiny of the country and stressed that there could be no other issue more important than the education of girls. Pointing out that educated children would be the best asset that we can leave to future generations, Mrs Erdoğan added:
For this issue that twists my heart as a mother I say the State and society should do all they can to ensure the schooling of girls.
Reminding us that no parent in these times could place his or her girls child at such a disadvantage, Mrs Erdoğan went on to say:
Our traditions, religion and culture call for a mobilisation in this endeavor. We cannot deny the achievements of the Republic to our daughters. Let’s light a candle in the darkness and fight any kind of ignorance that would accord a lower status to women.
Minister of National Education, Dr Hüseyin Çelik said the existing gap in education could be closed only by positive discrimination in favour of women:
It is our shame if any woman is illiterate. It is a great shame even when female illiteracy is as low as 1 or 2%.
Declaring that there will be material incentives for mothers who send their daughters to school. Minister Çelik said:
I am against all kinds of discrimination, but we need to stick to positive discrimination for women in the field of education.
Abdülkadir Aksu, Minister of Interior, reminded us that:
Governors in project provinces have significant tasks to perform and they should work as hard as they can until the campaign has fully reached its target.
Participants at the Governors’ Meeting in support of Haydi Kızlar Okula!
Photograph © UNICEF Turkey 2004
In a joint declaration, the Governors from 33 provinces promised to knock on every door until there is no girl left out of school
.
UNICEF Representative Mr Edmond McLoughney pointed out that 600,000 girls in Turkey were out of school even though they are of school age.
Finally Dilek Sabancı wished success to the campaign.
Familes sending their daughters to school to get 35 million Lira allowance
The Social Solidarity and Assistance Fund (SYDTF) is going to raise its monthly assistance to the children of poor families. At present, 16,500,000TL is deposited monthly to the bank accounts of mothers for about 400,000 children.
From July, the amount will be 20,000,000TL for girls in primary education. In secondary education, allowances will be 25,000,000 TL and 35,000,000 TL for boys and girls, respectively. The scheme will also cover children from poor backgrounds who start school under the present Haydi Kızlar Okula! campaign. The SYDTF is financing this scheme from the funds of the Social Risk Mitigation Project (SRMP), which was started with a loan from the World Bank.
Poor families with school age children need to apply to local SYDTF Branch to benefit from the scheme.
For further information, please contact:
Sema Hosta, UNICEF Communication Officer:
(+90) 312 454 10 10, Cell: 0533 622 83 46
Fatma Özdemir-Uluç, UNICEF Education Officer:
(+90) 312 454 10 07, Cell: 0532 640 4759
For more information about Girl’s Education in Turkey, read the Summer 2003, Autumn 2003 and Winter 2004 issues of ‘Say Yes’ the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey.
Visit the UNICEF headquarters website for more information on Girls’ Education campaigns worldwide.
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OTHER PRESS RELEASES ON GIRLS’ EDUCATION ISSUES
- The Haydi Kızlar Okula! campaign was nothing short of a fortunate event for the children of the Toprak family in Altındağ who were out of school for lack of funds.
(Sabah Newspaper) - Minister of Education, Dr Hüseyin Çelik says that ‘positive discrimination’ in favour of females is necessary in the field of education in order to close the existing gap. (Posta Newspaper)
- Mrs Emine Erdoğan: “Let’s fight the ignorance that sees women as second class citizens!” (Zaman Newspaper)
- Haydi Kızlar Okula! -- UNICEF and the Ministry of National Education’s campaign to achieve gender parity in primary education -- enters the second phase with a declaration of support from the Governors of the thirty-three provinces where the campaign is currently active.
- Four female teachers in Van are today no less than ‘angels’ in the eyes of the village they are serving and the children they are teaching. (Sabah Newspaper)
- UNICEF’s annual report The State of the World’s Children 2004 Girls, Education and Development was introduced to the press on December 16th.
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