We were all saddened by the events that took place in Ankara at the end of August.

Teachers working at private education establishments came to Ankara to seek better employee rights and benefits. A commotion arose when they gathered to explain their dire situation and they were held back and pepper sprayed by the police. The union members were arrested. We must not forget that violence against teachers destroys our future.

Our teachers educate the youth that is the assurance of a secular and democratic Türkiye. Their salaries are insufficient and their social rights are lacking. Their rightful demands for better pay to deflect the rising inflation must be considered by the Ministry of Education and other relevant institutions. The base pay system for those working at private schools must be reinstated and low salaries for teachers shouldn’t be made a device for savings.

Freedom of expression and assembly are constitutional rights. The forceful prevention of our teachers’ pursuit to seek the betterment of their employee's rights and benefits is unlawful. Disabling the teachers by taking away their lawful activities will place our country on a dark path towards the future.

We will always stand with our teachers from all corners of Türkiye that devote their lives to educating our children, yet, work under duress with insufficient pay! Our teachers are indispensable to our secular and democratic Republic. We will continue to refute activities or statements that harm our teachers; we will continue to work for education and a contemporary future.

We announce our stance publicly.