The Turkish Ministry of Education has revised the regulations for private educational institutions and now bans the celebration of Western holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Halloween, the Gazete Oksijen news website reported on Friday.
The changes, which were published in the Official Gazette, aim to protect “national and cultural values” and state that activities that run counter to the psychosocial development of students are now prohibited.
This decision comes after warnings were issued to schools in December 2023 regarding celebrations deemed “incompatible with Turkey’s national identity.”
The regulation also introduces “social activity and development centers,” which are designed to promote students’ social, cultural, artistic and sports development in addition to academic advancement.
School operations, including the annual academic calendar and operating hours, must now also take into account the nationwide exams and ensure that activities do not contradict “the principles of national education.”
In addition, schools are required to use only ministry-approved textbooks, underscoring the government’s control over educational content.
The announcement follows reports from parents who had complained about the celebration of Western holidays in schools. This prompted the ministry to issue a directive that all school activities must be in line with the principles of Turkish national education.
Fethullah Güner, the general director of private educational institutions, has been a vocal advocate of these changes. In a recent speech Güner emphasized the importance of preserving Turkish cultural identity and warned that schools that deviate from national values could be closed. He drew parallels with the measures taken by the country’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1924 “to protect Turkish identity.”