Alwaght – Ankara continues its crackdown on teachers despite a huge shortage in the educating staff after firing and suspending thousands of them.
The great wave of cleansing in the education system started after the failed coup in July. Ankara claims the fired or suspended teachers are linked to the Turkish opposition Fethullah Gulen who live in the US and Ankara blames him for leading the coup attempt.
Turkey has fired 28,000 teaches and suspended 9,500 others in the process despite a wide shortage of educating staff on the first day of the new academic year.
"As part of our fight against terrorism, necessary measures have been carried out on teachers along with other civil servants assessed to be linked with terrorist organizations," said Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli on Monday after a cabinet meeting.
Turkish new school year begins in a few days when 18 million students will attend their schools amid a vast staff shortages resulting from the post-coup crackdown.
“It is believed that this school year will take place in general chaos, as there are 40,000 to 50,000 vacancies and no preparation on the side of the ministry of education,” said the president of the Istanbul teachers’ union, Huseyin Ozev.
Ankara has suspended around 100,000 civil servants and detained some 40,000 people over ties with the opposition cleric.
A fraction of Turkish military, in a failed attempt, tried to overthrow the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan government in July.
