After the attacks in Şanlıurfa Siverek and Kahramanmaraş 12 February districts, the first issue discussed in the public opinion is how to ensure school security; when it comes to school security, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is teachers and the on-call teaching arrangement!
In addition to having an important function in the functioning of schools, on-call teaching is also a very controversial practice. This is because although it has been in the legislation for years, some meddlesome school principals have bent and twisted it and taken it out of its function in the legislation. The reason for this complexity is that the legislation states that “The principles to be followed during shifts are discussed in the teachers” council and the school administration prepares a duty instruction for teachers on duty. This instruction is announced to teachers in writing." Based on this article, school principals, by adding school entrances and exits, for which teachers are not responsible at all, to the instructions at the teachers' board meeting, are assigning teachers duties for something that is not their duty!
However, there is no such provision in the legislation regulating guard duty in both primary and secondary schools.
Let's start with primary and secondary schools;
Article 44 of the Ministry of National Education Regulation on Preschool Education and Primary Education Institutions, titled ‘Duty of vice-principals and teachers on duty’ has the following provisions;
(1) Assistant principals fulfill the duty of watch duty assigned to them at the school, monitor the teachers and students on duty, examine the watch reports, and report any problems to the principal.
(2) Independent kindergarten, kindergarten and practice class teachers keep watch in the areas where pre-school education students are present, in their own circuits and outside of activity hours.
(3) In schools where the number of assistant principals and teachers is not sufficient, assistant principals and teachers are assigned more than one shift per week.
(4) In primary education institutions; according to the duty schedule prepared by the school directorate by taking into consideration the school's buildings and facilities, student population, boarding, daytime, single or dual education, teachers shall be on duty during the day in single education schools and during their own period in dual education schools. In addition, in schools with single education, the school administration organizes the lunch break duty in a rotating and balanced manner, taking into account the rest periods of the teachers on duty.
(5) If a teacher teaches at more than one school, he/she shall stand guard at the school where he/she receives his/her salary, and if he/she does not teach at the school where he/she receives his/her salary, he/she shall stand guard at the school where he/she teaches the most classes.
(6) If the number of teachers in the school is sufficient, teachers who have completed 20 years of service for women and 25 years of service for men shall not be assigned on duty if they do not wish to do so. However, if needed, these teachers will also be assigned on duty.
(7) Pregnant teachers shall not be assigned on duty from the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy until the end of the two-year period following the end of the postnatal maternity leave period. The school administration shall take the necessary measures for guard duty arrangements within this scope.
(8) Duty duty starts 30 minutes before the first class starts and ends 30 minutes after the last class ends. However, this period may be shortened by not less than 15 minutes by the decision of the board of teachers according to the characteristics of the school.
(9) A teacher who is absent from duty duty without an excuse shall be treated like a teacher who is absent from class without an excuse.
(10) The principles to be followed during duty shifts are discussed in the teachers' council and the school administration prepares a duty directive for teachers on duty. These instructions are announced to teachers in writing.
(11) Teachers with disabilities, those who have children with special education needs and those who have disabled dependents are not assigned on duty. However, if they wish, such teachers are assigned on duty by prioritizing their day preferences.
(12) Special education teachers working in special education classes fulfill their duty of guard duty by continuing to supervise the students enrolled in their classes during recess and meal times.
(13) The order of the class whose teacher is absent for various reasons is maintained by the teacher on duty who does not have a class at that time. In case there is no teacher on duty with a free class, necessary measures are taken by the school principal.
In secondary schools, the situation is as follows;
Article 91 of the Ministry of National Education Secondary Education Institutions Regulation;
(1) Teachers fulfill their duty according to the duty schedule.
(2) The following principles shall be observed during shifts:
a) Teachers are assigned on duty on the day or days when they have the fewest classes.
b) Teachers who have teaching duties in more than one school shall be assigned to watch duty in the school where they are assigned, and if they do not have a course in the school where they are assigned, they shall be assigned to watch duty in the school where they teach the most courses.
c) Duty duty starts 30 minutes before the first lesson and ends 30 minutes after the last lesson. However, this period can be shortened by not less than 15 minutes with the decision of the board of teachers according to the characteristics of the school. In schools with dual education, teachers are on duty in a single period.
ç) Pregnant teachers shall not be assigned on duty from the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy until the end of the one-year period following the end of the postnatal maternity leave period.
d) Female teachers with more than 20 years of service and male teachers with more than 25 years of service may be exempted from guard duty upon their request. However, in case of disruption of the duty due to the high number of teachers in this scope, these teachers are also assigned on duty.
e) The principles to be followed during shifts are discussed and decided by the teachers' council and announced to the teachers in writing after the approval of the school principal.
f) A teacher who is absent from duty duty without an excuse shall be treated as a teacher who is absent from class without an excuse.
g) Teachers with disabilities, those with disabled children and those with disabled dependents are not assigned on duty. However, if they wish, these teachers are assigned on duty by prioritizing their day preferences.
ğ) Special education teachers working in special education classes fulfill their duty of guard duty according to the relevant provisions of the Special Education Services Regulation.
h) The organization of the classroom and the studying of the students in the absence of a teacher for various reasons shall be ensured by the teacher on duty who does not have a class at that time. In case all teachers on duty have classes, the vice principal on duty takes the necessary measures.
ı) Pre-school teachers working in the practice kindergarten classes in the field of child development and education in secondary education institutions, provided that they are present at the school 15 minutes before the first lesson and 15 minutes after the end of the last lesson on the day they are on duty, keep watch in the areas where pre-school students are located, in their own circuits and outside the activity hours.
i) In schools with regular education, the school principal organizes the lunch break duty in a rotating and balanced manner, taking into account the basic needs of the deputy principal and teachers on duty.
As can be seen, there is no duty for teachers at school entrances and exits in the legislation regulating guard duty in primary, secondary and high schools. In practice, the reason why teachers are assigned guard duty at school entrances and exits in addition to their guard duty inside the school is that school principals want to assign this duty to teachers as an additional task in order to control school entrances and exits due to the lack of private security guards in their schools!
Teachers working in both primary and secondary schools, being aware of this legislation, should prevent the inclusion of the clause on controlling school entrances and exits, which is not defined in the regulations, in the watch instructions. Because teachers are not security guards!