In almost all countries, the education system and schools, which are the cornerstone of the system, are expected to raise individuals who are free, think critically, have responsibility, are sensitive to social problems, love people and have democratic values.
In this sense, democracy, defined as a form of government based on the sovereignty of the people, is directly related to education as a social design. Without education and educated people, democracy can neither flourish nor be practiced.
According to Dewey, education is a way of life, not a preparation for the future, and the main problem with the current education system is that the school is seen as a place where knowledge is imparted, lessons are learned, and habits are formed, rather than as a human community. The function of education in a democratic society is to help each child develop the character, dispositions and virtues that enable him or her to realize himself or herself. According to him, the quality of social life is determined by two criteria: the diversity of interests and experiences that are consciously shared and the richness and freedom of mutual relations with social units. These are also the basic qualities that define a democratic society.[1]
In the Turkish education system, two long-standing practices known as the experience of democracy in schools have been quietly abolished in recent years. The first of these practices is known as ‘educational branch activities’ and ‘social club activities’ and the second is ‘student assemblies'.
Social club activities, which are an experience of democracy at school, were actually expanded within the scope of the “Regulation on Social Activities in Educational Institutions of the Ministry of National Education”; however, Article 5, paragraph 3 of the regulation states: ‘Social activity activities are primarily implemented outside of class hours. These activities can also be carried out during class hours in cases of necessity.’ Pursuant to this provision, all activities were taken out of school hours and rendered dysfunctional. In addition, social club activities have been emptied of content by reducing them to classes and students' communication with students in other classes has been severed. Today, in practice, no social club activities take place outside of school hours, and school corridors are decorated with social club signs that appear to have been organized on paper.
The second experience of democracy in schools, the Democracy Education and School Assemblies Project, was implemented in cooperation with the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey until 2013, With the letter sent to the Ministry of National Education on “Turkish Student Assembly’, the Ministry of National Education stated that it would not be involved in the activities related to the Democracy Education and School Assemblies Project since 2013, therefore the project in question was carried out by the Ministry of National Education, including 2018, in this context, the Directive on Democracy Education and School Assemblies of the Ministry of National Education was abolished with the Approval of the Authority and the activities of the Turkish Student Assembly were canceled.
Article 5 of the abolished Ministry of National Education Directive on Democracy Education and School Assemblies aimed to ‘strengthen our Republic with democracy; to create an established culture of democracy in our students, to develop a sense of tolerance and pluralism, to raise generations who have assimilated their own culture, who are loyal to national and spiritual values, who adopt universal values; to give students the culture of voting, election and voting; to gain the skills of participating, communicating, adopting democratic leadership and forming public opinion’. As a matter of fact, the formation of class, school, district, provincial and national assemblies and the selection of representatives were realized through democratic elections held in each unit.
The pedagogical reasons for the dysfunctionalization of social club activities by taking them out of class hours and the abolition of the Democracy Education and School Assemblies Project at the beginning of the current semester have not been understood and no reaction has emerged.
As a result of the elimination of two beautiful examples of the experience of democracy in our schools, which are the prototypes of our society, there are no practices left for our children to learn and experience democracy in schools.
So how will children experience democracy in schools?
- M.Şişman et al. A Framework of Competencies for a Democratic School Culture ↑