03/18/2019 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Turkey’s Education Ministry has slated $84.1 million to investment in Imam Hatip High Schools, with the intention of opening 162 new centers. The ruling AKP party has reshaped Turkey’s education system so that students, particularly those with lower grades, are pushed into Imam Hatip schools.

Parents continue to push back against these schools, arguing that their extensive Quranic studies erode Turkey’s secular principles. The presence of these schools are especially worrying for Christians, who are concerned that the strictly Islamic education at these schools further reinforces underlying cultural concepts that all Turks are Muslims. Some Christian parents have reported taking extensive administrative steps in order to ensure that their children do not get pushed into these schools.

While the government is aggressively attempting to integrate these Islamic schools into Turkey’s educational system, the data shows that supply does not necessarily match demand. Last year, there were 1,605 Imam Hatip High Schools and 627,503 students. While this represents a significant proportion of Turkey’s high school population, the rate of enrollment this year is actually half of what the government is desiring.

This gives some hope that while President Erdogan is attempting to solidify his position through the installment of Islamic Nationalism, the country is not necessarily ready to abandon secularism. Meanwhile, Turkish Christians are left to watch and wait.

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