Erhürman: ‘Children Must Not Be Used as Pawns in Divide-and-Rule Tactics’

Speaking on Hakikat Web TV, Erhürman accused the authorities of triggering chaos by introducing sudden amendments to school regulations in the middle of the academic year, only to retract them amid public outcry. “Rules are set at the start of the school year. If any adjustments are to be made in education, they must be done in a transparent and deliberative manner,” he said.

‘They Created a Crisis and Dragged Parliament Into It’

Erhürman noted that following protests, the government promised a workshop instead of a regulation change, but soon after introduced another version of the regulation without consultation. He said the response from civil society and political parties—even within the ruling coalition—was telling. “UBP and DP members were present at the protest. I saw people from all backgrounds standing together,” he stated.

Highlighting the inconsistency of the government’s approach, Erhürman remarked, “They tried to divide people, but they themselves became divided. A crisis that didn’t exist was manufactured and even brought Parliament to a standstill.”

‘This Is Not Governance—It’s Sabotage’

Calling the new regulation an act of educational sabotage, Erhürman emphasized the risk it posed to social unity, accusing the government of pitting students, teachers, and parents against one another. “We are witnessing an administration that throws bombs into the education system,” he said. “Such recklessness, especially with two months left in the school year, is unacceptable.”

He reiterated that the issue at stake was the well-being of children. “This isn’t just politics—this is about our children. You cannot play divide-and-rule or divide-and-conquer games with children.”

‘Stop Trying to Divide This People by Place of Birth’

Erhürman warned against attempts to divide the public along lines of birthplace or perceived national loyalty. “They want to polarize the people into those who love Turkey and those who supposedly don’t. My job is to stop them from tearing this country apart,” he said, vowing strong resistance if any harm comes to the children as a result of the current policies.

‘Berova Now Plays the Theologian’

Erhürman also criticized Finance Minister Özdemir Berova, noting the poor quality of the new regulation’s language. “It’s so carelessly written that even three lines of Turkish are grammatically incorrect. That’s how seriously they took this,” he said. “Berova first surprised us by becoming Finance Minister—now he’s acting like a religious scholar.”

He concluded by emphasizing the gravity of the situation: “The true concern is not education reform—it’s a political attempt to sow division. But no one should dare harm even a single hair on our children’s heads in the process. Anyone who tries will have to answer for it.”