Turkey's Ministry of Education has amended regulations for private educational institutions, banning the celebration of Western holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Halloween, news website Gazete Oxygen reported on Friday.
The changes, published in the Official Gazette, aim to protect “national and cultural values” and state that activities that are contrary to the psychosocial development of students will be prohibited.
The decision came after a warning was issued to schools in December 2023 regarding celebrations deemed “incompatible with Turkey's national identity”.
In addition to academic progress, the regulations also introduce a “Social Activities and Development Center” aimed at promoting students' social, cultural, artistic and sporting development.
School management, including the annual academic calendar and business hours, must take national exams into account and ensure that activities do not violate the “Principles of National Education.''
Furthermore, schools are required to use only textbooks approved by the minister, highlighting the government's control over educational content.
The announcement follows reports from parents who complained about the celebration of Western holidays at schools. For this reason, the ministry issued a directive that all school activities must be in line with the principles of Turkish national education.
Fethullah Güner, general director of a private educational institution, has been a vocal advocate of these changes. In his recent speech, Güner stressed the importance of preserving Turkey's cultural identity and warned that schools that deviate from national values could be closed. He pointed to similarities with steps taken by country's founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1924 “to protect Turkey's identity.”
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