Turkey to employ imams as kindergarten teachers

Turkish government is planning to employ religious school graduates as kindergarten teachers. Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) increased the number of Islamic education oriented Imam Hatip High Schools fivefold since 2002 and employed most of the graduates as imams. But as the positions of imams are full the Turkish state is seeking to employ […]

Turkish government is planning to employ religious school graduates as kindergarten teachers.

Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) increased the number of Islamic education oriented Imam Hatip High Schools fivefold since 2002 and employed most of the graduates as imams. But as the positions of imams are full the Turkish state is seeking to employ imams in different ways.

Now employing imams as kindergarten teachers is on the agenda.

A private kindergarten administrator in Diyarbakir said, on the condition of anonymity, that the local education officials negotiated with the owners of kindergartens about employing imams as contract teachers. The officials also met with the families of children and forced them to sign a petition to force the kindergartens open a position for a religion teacher.

Officials from the National Education Board threatened some kindergarten owners who refused to employ imams with not renewing their licences. (ANF News)