Education Minister Tekin: Direct Path to Permanent Position Closed for Contract Teachers

National Education Minister Yusuf Tekin gave a direct answer to thousands of contract teachers' demands for permanent positions: "Direct appointment as a tenured teacher for those assigned on an hourly basis is not possible." This decision directly affects a large group of teachers who have worked for years under precarious conditions and must renew their contracts each term.

The Ministry of National Education has defended this position previously; however, in earlier periods temporary legal arrangements allowed hiring within certain quotas. This time, Minister Tekin's "the door is closed" message also shuts the door on such flexibility. Contract teachers begin each school year without knowing whether their contracts will be renewed in early September; the summer months pass without pay. The requirement of a civil service exam score remains in effect for those seeking permanent status.