The Education Ministry's updated proposal on teacher appointments has failed to persuade the teachers' unions to call off their action, with POED, OELMEK and OLTEK confirming that Thursday's mobilisation will go ahead as planned. In a joint announcement, the unions said the revised proposal "leaves no room for cancelling tomorrow's mobilisation. On the contrary, it confirms the need for all of us to be there", CNA reports.
Concerns over appointment lists
According to the unions, the proposal does not provide a substantive answer to the concerns of thousands of teachers who have served public schools for years through the appointment and eligible-for-appointment lists. They say it neither secures these teachers' employment prospects nor addresses the injustices that have arisen.
Objections to a closed register
The unions argue that creating a "closed register" is not a solution, as it would lead to temporary appointments without a genuine prospect of permanent employment. In their view, this would perpetuate job insecurity and create a new category of highly experienced teachers working for years amid uncertainty, without meaningful protection or a clear professional outlook.
Teachers they say are left exposed
The unions also state that the Ministry of Education's proposal excludes a large number of substitute teachers. They say it leaves part-time and full-time contract teachers, as well as teachers on indefinite-term contracts, facing job insecurity and the possibility of losing their jobs.
On the eligible-for-appointment list, the unions say that placing these teachers on a single list alongside those entering through a new examination under a different framework intensifies uncertainty.
Responsibility for the system's failings
The unions stress that teachers should not be asked to pay for the mistakes of a system that the state failed to correct during its ten years of operation. They add that efforts to correct distortions should not create new distortions and new victims.
Staffing needs in public schools
According to the announcement, the needs of public schools are many times greater than the number of teachers currently on the eligible-for-appointment list. The unions also say serious staffing problems are already being recorded, as fewer and fewer young people choose teaching as a profession.
Call for mass participation
The unions are calling on teachers, parents and society to turn out in large numbers, arguing that public schools cannot become a testing ground. They say the mobilisation is being held to defend public schools, dignity at work, equality before the law and justice.
