Say Yes, Spring 2005: Voices of Experience (2)

If we couldn’t help with the financial problems these families were facing the children wouldn’t stay at school.
Photograph by Rana Mullan
© UNICEF Turkey 2005

Serpil Güleçyüz
Kadıköy Education Director, İstanbul

We meet some difficulties in our campaign but none of them are insurmountable -- a little patience goes a long way. That’s why, we set up a district progress committee and contact office in the Kadıköy District.

We put youth representatives and neighbourhood leaders in these teams to liaise with us. This helped build up communication and trust between the families and schools.

But we found that although the reasons for children not attending school were varied, many of them were just not fitting in at school because of the age differences. So we looked into opening a ‘catch-up’ course for them.

We gave the families financial assistance and also educational materials such as uniforms, schoolbags, books and so forth as an incentive to stop children going back to work. Our view was that if we couldn’t help with the financial problems these families were facing the children wouldn’t stay at school.

For example, we opened crèches to help girls looking after younger brothers and sisters.

We’ve come far in the past two years -- 660 girls have been enrolled at school. Families reacted very positively and I see it as an example for other families. I’m sure that the number of families enrolling girls in school will increase.

The campaign means hope to me -- a light at the end of the tunnel and better times ahead.

The whole campaign has worked in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support.
Photograph by Rana Mullan
© UNICEF Turkey 2005

Şerafettin Yel
Deputy Education Director, Manisa

A great deal has been achieved in Manisa since the beginning of Haydi Kızlar Okula! in February 2004. The whole campaign has worked in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support.

We met a girl of school age whose father was not at home when we visited but her mother told us that she didn’t want to go to school. I called the child close and asked her why she didn’t want to go to school. She explained that her mother wouldn’t send her. But I want to go she said.

We had something of a dilemma so we asked her mother again do you want your daughter to go to school? When her mother replied that the child could go if she wanted to, we took the girl to school immediately.

On the same day we persuaded five more children to enroll in school.

In Manisa a total of 744 out of 814 girls who were out of school were reached and enrolled. We enrolled an additional 146 boys as well.

We can solve this problem only if we make the work systematic and sustainable.
Photograph by Rana Mullan
© UNICEF Turkey 2005

Bahri Yıldızbaş
School Principal, Van

Working on Haydi Kızlar Okula! in Van everyone from the local authorities and religious leaders to school principals and teachers has made great sacrifices. That said, I don’t think that our work should be limited to this campaign alone. We can solve this problem only if we make the work systematic and sustainable, ensuring that it is not repeated in Turkey anymore.

We briefed community leaders, nurses, midwives and ordinary citizens in order to gain their support for the campaign. We activated NGOs, the media and local authorities in support of the campaign.

Teams of twenty-five consultants, field representatives and guidance teachers carried out the field work. Visits were made to 681 schools and many homes. Of course we met some difficulties but we managed to overcome these mainly through determination and patience. We made peace offerings to those who wanted us to leave their homes and tried to be conciliatory.

Coordinating schools systematically followed the work of other schools in each district.

The families of 8,000 children received Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT). NGOs helped newly enrolled girls by supplying school uniforms and school materials.

Many charities, foundations and the media continue to support the campaign. We have to work on our belief and carry on daily in order to succeed.

Nermin Seyratlı
Director of Public Education, Bağcılar, İstanbul

Having worked all over Turkey, I know the problems girls have to live with very well and I welcome the Haydi Kızlar Okula! campaign with open arms.

At present, Bağcılar is getting the most girls back to school in the province of İstanbul. There are a lot of immigrants in the district and very often the girls are sent to work in the shirt factories. So we do a lot of work on changing the attitudes of their families. Somewhere in the region of 2,000 girls were out of school in the district and we managed to enrol 1,037. But we aren’t satisfied that this is enough so we have stepped up our efforts as the campaign moves forward.

At one point we came across a family of ten living in a basement room. The three youngest were of school age but they weren’t attending. We managed to get them enrolled but to my mind there are so many families in this sort of situation that we have yet to reach.

Go back to the first part.

Read more about Haydi Kızlar Okula! the Ministry of National Education and UNICEF’s campaign to close the gender gap in primary education in Turkey by the end of 2005.