RABİA ATBAŞ
PRIVATE SECTOR TEACHERS‘ UNION • TÜRKİYE

I am a teacher working in the private sector. For years, I have been asking myself the same question in the classroom, standing in front of the blackboard, looking my students in the eye:

Why are we so invisible?
Years ago, we began searching for the answer to this question. We came together as teachers who experience the same conditions, suffer the same injustices, and share the same love and hope, and we founded the Private Sector Teachers‘ Union. From that day until today, we have defended not only our rights, but also the honor of education, the dignity of teaching, and the value of public education.

What Are We Fighting For?
We created this union to be the voice of teachers who:
•Work for less than minimum wage,
•Are left without work during the summer holidays,
•Work without any concept of working hours,
•When they raise their voices, are told that “they can be replaced.” Today we are under the same roof with thousands of teachers. At the heart of our struggle is the legal guarantee of our right to the minimum wage, the elimination of indefinite employment contracts, and the restoration of the dignity of the teaching profession.
•We don’t just want “a higher salary.”
•We want decent working conditions, freedom of association, and professional dignity.
•And we know that we will only achieve this by organizing and standing in solidarity.

Female Teachers: Double the
Work, Half the Visibility
For us, women teachers, the struggle is not only economic, but also a struggle for existence. While we teach students about equality and justice in school, in our own workplace we often witness sexist division of labor, verbal and physical harassment, workplace bullying, and the dismissal of colleagues for becoming pregnant.

Many female teachers are forced by administrators to perform more menial tasks and receive lower salaries, under the assumption that they are “more docile,” “obedient,” or “emotional.” Some are even forced to accept maternity leave not as a right, but as a “gift.” Female teachers, caught between the burden of caring for the home and labor exploitation at school, work twice as hard every day to keep ourselves going.

Many female teachers are forced by administrators to perform more menial tasks and receive lower salaries, under the assumption that they are “more docile,” “obedient,” or “emotional.” Some are even forced to accept maternity leave not as a right, but as a “gift.” Female teachers, caught between the burden of caring for the home and labor exploitation at school, work twice as hard every day to keep ourselves going.

Every day there are more of us, we hold hands and support each other to become stronger.

Who Pays the Price for the
Privatization of Education?
The privatization of education is presented on paper as “diversity,” but in reality it increases inequality. Currently, we find ourselves in a system where those with money can access better education, while those without money must contend with overcrowded classrooms and insufficient resources. As public education weakens, the work of teachers becomes cheaper and equal opportunities for students disappear. As the private sector grows, the responsibility of the state diminishes. Education, which used to be “a right for all children,” has now become a service offered “according to each person’s purchasing power.” This is not only a loss for us, but for society as a whole. Because as education becomes commercialized, society becomes more unjust.

So, as we fight against so much injustice, what is the Minister of National Education, who should be on the side of teachers, doing? What does he say about all this violation of rights? In recent months, the Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin, described private sector teachers as “people who have failed the KPSS exam.” And he did so in front of the students. The words of a minister resonated in the hearts
of thousands of teachers. Today, unfortunately, we are faced with language that belittles teaching and fails to understand the spirit of education. If we were not organized in the Private Sector Teachers‘ Union, we could fall into despair without being aware of our value to this society. This union protects us from that despair. We will continue to teach until the minister who made those unfortunate statements sees the reality. Because we are teachers. For years we learn about our field, pedagogy, communication, and understanding students. We are very patient. We don’t give up. We don’t surrender.

This approach, which ignores the work, effort, and knowledge of a teacher, not only belittles us, but also our students. Mr. Minister, at the door of the institutions where we work, there is a sign that says “Ministry of National Education.” Today, it is your own ministry that grants these signs to the institutions you call “under the counter.” In other words, by blaming teachers, you are actually trying to hide your own responsibility. And while you say all this, you send your own child to a private school.

This is precisely the inconsistency that the privatization of education creates: On the one hand, a policy that belittles public education and, on the other, a ruling class that benefits from the fruits of that policy. It is unacceptable for a Minister of National Education to use language that is so far away from pedagogy and so alien to teachers. We want language that honors teachers, not discredits them. Because we know that the future of a country is measured by the value it places on its teachers.

The democratization of
education is everyone’s responsibility.
Education must be egalitarian, regardless of whether it is public or private. Teachers must have the same rights regardless of where they work. Therefore, we say:
• The right to a “minimum wage” that was included in the law prior to 2014 must be guaranteed by law once again.
• Safe working conditions must be created for teachers in the private sector.
• Control mechanisms must be comprehensive and protect teachers.
• Teachers must have a say in the development of education policies.
• Independent control and sanction mechanisms must be established to deal with cases of discrimination, harassment, and bullying suffered by female teachers.
• The democratization of education is possible if the voice of teachers is heard.

Our Struggle,
the Curriculum of the Future
For years, the work of teachers has been ignored, labeling it a “profession of sacrifice.” But we no longer want sacrifice, we want justice. We want to receive the reward we deserve for the work that sustains education.

We remain firm and organized in the face of those who try to take away our honor. As our union grows and our voice becomes stronger, it is not only private sector teachers who win, but the entire education system. Because we know that: The more education is commercialized, the more society is impoverished; the more education is democratized, the more society is liberated.

We seek that freedom and that equality. And we will fight to the end with solidarity, tenacity, and hope.