Press Centre 2004/06/02: Girls’ Education
They too will go to school!
Sabah Newspaper, 2 June, 2004
Ankara, 2 June 2004 -- 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.
The Commission leading the campaign convinced their father who makes a meagre living collecting waste paper to send his children to school.
Melek and Doğan Toprak had to leave their schools because their family couldn’t afford to send them but now a miracle has happened. Under the campaign for girls’ education, the commission in their neighborhood composed of the community leader, imam and the council of elders discovered that Melek and Doğan could not go to school and took the initiative to get them back into school. The commission opened a new window in the life of these children by convincing their father, a poor man trying to support his family by collecting waste paper, to send his children to school again.
So Melek and Doğan said Hi!
again to their schoolmates in February this year.
Support is provided
The family was provided assistance by the Social Solidarity and Assistance Fund (SYDTF) in the form of a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and agreed to send their children back to school. The children are supported by food and clothing assistance as well and they are now looking hopefully to their future. Attending grade 3 in Altındağ Cumhuriyet Primary School, the girl, Melek, wants to be a nurse while her brother, Doğan, wants a career in law.
Starting from the third grade
Murat Bey Balta, Provincial Director of Education, is overjoyed to get the children back into education:
They are our children. We can’t afford to leave them out of the system. There are many families here in Altındağ who have serious trouble getting by and we are trying to help out those any we can find. These two children started from the 3rd grade according to their age. We don’t doubt they’ll make it and grow up to be good citizens. We trust them.
Back in school again after two years
Having been out of school for two years, Doğan Toprak is very happy now to be back again. Recalling the hard times out of school, Doğan says:
We are back to where we were -- it’s nice to go to school. I like my friends and teachers very much. We have a bit of a problem having been out of school for 2 years, but I believe we’ll soon catch up with others. I am trying hard together with my sister to do this.
Mentioning that he wants to be a lawyer, Doğan added:
Frankly, we didn’t think that we could ever go back to school. But our dreams came true like a miracle.
The happiness in her brown eyes
Nine years old Melek Toprak was out of school for one year. Her bright brown eyes are a testament to her happiness at being back in school again. Melek says her family is quite poor and she fell ill before leaving her school:
That’s why I quit school. I missed my friends and teachers so much. While I was out of school, I tried hard to read some books at home. But now I am back and I will have plenty of opportunity to read. I feel just wonderful about myself.
The full text of the Provincial Governors’ Declaration in support of Haydi Kızlar Okula! can be found in the UNICEF Turkey Press Centre.
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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