Kamil Pasha

The journalist Nicole Pope has spent many years traveling in all corners of Turkey. In her column, she writes about the background issues and implications of the UNDP report on the state of Turkish youth (see my March 22 blog entry, where you can access the full report). She pays particular attention to the hidden problems of education in Turkey, especially in rural areas, ranging from lack of infrastructure to authoritarianism and reliance on rote learning that leaves students unable to synthesize information and develop a critical approach.

I recently had a conversation with two professors at a prestigious university who complained about the inability of their students to do exactly that. Asked to write an analytical or research paper, the students generally hand in a melange of information gleaned from a variety of sources and pieced together in a “new” way, but without any contribution of original thought or synthesis on the student’s part. (See also my previous blog entries on science and education) Click here for Pope’s UNDP column

In another column, Pope reviews efforts by private foundations, NGOs and local administrations to change views on gender in schools around Turkey.

Pope: The good news is that the training of teachers does filter down to the students — in some schools, the number of girls sitting on student councils has already increased, for instance….[The project] found that much of the gender bias that still denies women equal opportunities in public life is deeply rooted in textbooks…In most textbooks, masculinity was shown as heroic, aggressive, strong and active, while no successful role models were given for women, who were usually described as passive and patient, sometimes even in the face of violence….I can’t help but see a link between social mores that value “male” assertiveness above consensus, and the polarization and brinkmanship that characterizes the Turkish political world, still largely dominated by men. (for Pope’s column on the education initiative, click here)

Tags: Culture, Education, Science //