Say Yes, Autumn 2004: A Campaign Notebook -- Remaining Issues

It has been tremendously heartening to see so many people in all walks of life, from the highest level of Government to families in the remotest eastern villages, mobilising for positive change on the issue of girls’ education. However this little ‘revolution’ is not over: many issues remain to be addressed.

Beyond Grade 5

Although basic education is compulsory up to grade 8, thousands of village schools have not been upgraded to accommodate grades 6-8 since the new law was introduced in 1997. Children in grades 6 to 8 are expected to take a bus to a larger school which can be anywhere between 2.5 and 30 kilometres away and some need to travel as far as 60 kilometres -- a gruelling daily journey that deters all but the most determined families from sending their children to school. Because of this, many children simply don’t continue after 5th grade.

The provision of extra classrooms needs to be given a high priority. Prefabricated buildings which can be installed relatively quickly and cheaply may be a quick solution. The Minister has agreed that ‘prefabs’ can be a big part of the answer, but it remains to find the funding.

Staffing shortages and shortcomings

The shortage of teachers in rural areas is an issue in itself. There are plenty of teachers apparently, but they find all kinds of excuses to avoid being deployed in villages with scant basic services and poor housing. The Ministry of National Education (MONE) scheme to pay incentives has been hampered by civil service regulations and a lack of money. The scheme, currently awaiting a new policy on public personnel service, is due to go before Parliament sometime in the future. This is an area for continued advocacy obviously -- and greater financial allocations.

The quality of education leaves much to be desired and it is not helped by overcrowded classrooms. The issue requires a new approach to the teacher-training curriculum and methods. However extensive re-training all 400,000 teachers could take a long time.

Unofficial school fees

The issue of ‘unofficial’ school fees is a major deterrent for many parents since it can amount to as much as 50 million lira ($36). It would appear that the money is usually used to pay for maintenance personnel. However one journalist noted that parents bargained with the Principal on the amount to pay. Parents should be involved in collective decision-making about cleaning and maintenance and matters such as charging a fee only to those who can afford it.

Family ‘values’

Some of the most intractable cases are those who cite ‘tradition’ -- the no girl ever went to school in this family attitude. It could probably be argued that such cases might respond to a visit from the police although the state does not want to appear to be coercive. Threatening a fine may have some effect -- on a more positive note they could be encouraged to apply for the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT).

Birth registration

The problem of birth registration keeps cropping up. While children don’t need a birth certificate or ID to go to school, principals often insist on it -- probably through ignorance of the regulations. A person without a birth certificate is compromised because he or she cannot have a citizen’s ID card. This means that they:

• have no right to vote;
• can’t get a green card or subsequent entitlement to free health treatment;
• can’t get a school diploma;
• can’t get married officially;
• can’t have a passport;
• can’t open a bank account;
• can’t have a job in the formal sector;
• can’t get welfare benefits such as the CCT;

Catch up education

‘Catch Up’ education is important since it allows out-of-school children to make up for lost time -- especially those aged 10 or more who are not permitted to enroll in grade one. Still, the curriculum needs to be developed, materials need to be produced, teachers need to be trained and separate spaces need to be identified before the programme can be put into action.

Also a more intense social mobilisation will be needed since potential participants will be harder to persuade than younger girls. This is because the girls are older and more integrated into domestic or other kinds of labour. Also, parents see their older daughters as being closer to marriageable age and as such more able to generate income since they are physically stronger.

The next steps to get the remaining girls into school could incorporate the following:

Enrolment and attendance

Legally, children can be enrolled without the consent of their parents, so enrolments should continue all year round. Enrolment does not ensure attendance, of course, but it provides a name and address which can be followed up -- having her name on a school register may be the only form of identity a girl may have. Repeat visits could be made to the household throughout the year and families can be invited to visit the school to reassure themselves.

Schoolspace

Pre-fabricated buildings should be set up as soon as possible in order to solve the space problem which is common in Eastern areas. Modern ‘prefabs’ have a long life-expectancy, are quick to install and also affordable. A new ‘prefab’ accommodating 40 children (80 over 2 shifts) can be bought for as little as $11,000. About 4,000 ‘prefabs’ are needed -- a relatively modest investment for the next generation. Provinces which have long, harsh winters need slightly more expensive winterised versions. A good alternative would be to rent extra space.

Incentives

It is vitally important to ensure that all parents who are entitled to the CCT are aware of the grant and that they get help in completing the application since many are themselves illiterate. In this case a comprehensive birth registration drive is necessary since poor families cannot otherwise apply for the benefit.

In Mazıdağı for example, the CCT scheme has led to 1,500 new birth registrations in the past year -- 17% of the population -- showing how CCT works well as an incentive for birth registration as well as for school and green cards.

The incentive for teachers working in remote rural areas needs to be activated in order to solve the problem of staffing shortages.

Travel

The school transport system simply does not work in many areas for long periods of the year when roads are closed by heavy snow. Ideally the schools should be brought to the children, not children to the schools, so opening more village schools is the best way to ensure access throughout the school year.

Schools participation

School principals have much to offer to the campaign and meetings should be organised in order to clarify their key role: they can assign staff to follow up on enrolments and non-attendance with household visits; they can help with birth registration and applications for the CCT; they can waive ‘unofficial’ school fees; they can involve parents in the running of the school through PTAs and they can make their schools more ‘child-friendly’.

Principals can use their substantial influence and appeal to the self-interest of reluctant parents with strong and simple arguments such as an educated daughter will be better able to take care of you in your old age.

A last word

Little more than a year remains for us to ensure that Turkey’s gender gap in education is closed for good and that every girl enjoys a quality basic education. The political and social will to achieve this goal is evident by what has been done in the past eighteen months -- the next twelve promise to be hard but nonetheless rewarding work for all concerned.

See the Programmes Section for more about Haydi Kızlar Okula!.

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