Their schools were found to be earthquake-proof; Parents did not send 170 students to school by bus system

Parents of 170 students of 3 schools that were deemed not resistant to earthquakes and were closed in Sağlamtaş District of TEKİRDAĞ’s Malkara district did not send their children to another school 15 kilometers away by transportation system. Parents of students who could not receive education in the first week of school wanted a new school to be built in their neighborhood. District Directorate of National Education officials said that they started working to build a new school building in the neighborhood within 3 months.

The controls carried out on the buildings of Sağlamtaş Gazi Primary School, Sağlamtaş Cumhuriyet Primary School and Cumhuriyet Secondary School, located in the rural Sağlamtaş District with a population of 870 households and approximately 20 people, 25 kilometers away from Malkara district center, were found not to be earthquake resistant. Malkara District Education Directorate then decided to close the school buildings and continue their education in schools in Balabancık Neighborhood, 15 kilometers away, with 170 students living in the neighborhood using bus transportation. Parents reacted to this decision, which was notified to them 15 days before the schools opened, and did not send their children to schools in Balabancık District in the first week of school.

‘WE WANT A SCHOOL WITH 8 OR 12 CLASSROOMS’

Parents gathered with their children in front of schools with Turkish flags in their hands and demanded that the closed schools in their neighborhoods be opened. Parents, who said that they would not send their children to Balabancık District using the transportation system, said that they were waiting for a solution to their problems. Ramazan Ersoy, Headman of Sağlamtaş Neighborhood, said, “We are going through a difficult process in our neighborhood. According to the earthquake regulations, our schools will be demolished. As a neighborhood, we want our government ministers to build a school with 8 or 12 classrooms in our neighborhood. We want our existing schools to remain open until our new school is built. Our students continue their education in the schools here.” “We want them to do so. I believe that our state and the Ministry of National Education will not remain silent about our request,” he said.

Headman Ahmet Simen stated that 3 schools in their neighborhood were closed on the grounds that they were not earthquake resistant, and said, “170 of our students were sentenced to the bussed system. We are against this. We want education to continue in these schools at least until a new school is built. 170 of our students have been in school for a week.” “According to the decision we made as a neighborhood, we will not send our students anywhere else until our new school is clear,” he said.

‘WE DO NOT WANT TO CARRY’

Parent-Teacher Association President Kenan Bakar said that the decision was made to close schools 1 week before the start of the new academic year. Bakar said, “Currently, we have 170 students, schools are closed. 170 students are also victims. We want to make our voices heard as neighborhood residents to our president, governor and district governor. We want our students to continue their education in the schools here. We do not want a bus system.”

Parent-Teacher Association Manager Emrah Dolay said, “These schools have been retrofitted before. Currently, they transferred our current 170 students to the bussed system. They told us a week ago, ‘You have switched to the bussed system.’ They said the schools were not earthquake-resistant, and they suddenly closed our schools even though they had been retrofitted. Where we will send them.” “We heard that the school was rotten and needed to be strengthened. We want a school to be built in our village as soon as possible,” he said.

Student Parent Ayşe Simen stated that they want the school their children will attend to be in the neighborhood and said, “I have a place, I will also give the title deed of my land if necessary to establish a container school.”

A NEW BUILDING WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN 3 MONTHS

Officials of the Malkara Directorate of National Education stated that the school buildings in Sağlamtaş District were found not to be resistant to earthquakes and that it was decided that the students would receive education in schools in Balabancık District using the bussed system. Authorities noted that work has begun to build a new school in the neighborhood within 3 months, instead of schools that are not earthquake-resistant.

GOVERNOR SOYTÜRK: WE DID NOT LET OUR CHILDREN INTO 207 SCHOOLS

Tekirdağ Governor Recep Soytürk, in his speech at the ceremony held to mark the start of the new academic year, stated that 208 thousand 107 students in 631 schools will attend classes.

He announced that they did not allow children into 207 schools that did not pass the earthquake test.

In his speech, Soytürk said, “I have been in Tekirdağ for about 3 weeks. We have been researching and talking about the educational problems of Tekirdağ for 3 weeks. We are making evaluations about solution suggestions. What we see is that a very good application has actually been made. Schools have been tested for compliance with the earthquake regulations. Those who could not pass the earthquake test We did not allow our children into 207 schools. It is a right move, a good move. As a result, strengthening works have started in some of the schools, some of the schools have started to be rebuilt, some have been completed, there are ongoing works. Some of them are at the project stage, some are at the tender stage. I went “I saw it on site and examined it. Our duty will be to finish these as soon as possible and present them to the benefit of our parents, children and teachers. We are working intensively on this,” he said.

All Local News