More than 4 million students lack access to remote classes, Turkish education union warns

More than four million students lack the resources to access remote classes, Turkish education union Eğitim-Sen's chairwoman warned as Ankara closed schools until the end of the year. Some 60 percent of those who have access reportedly resort to using their parents' phones.

Thursday November 19 2020 12:44 pm

Serkan Alan / DUVAR

More than four million students don't have access to remote education in Turkey although Ankara closed schools until the end of the year, said Feray Aytekin Aydoğan, chairwoman of Turkey's education union Eğitim-Sen.

The chairwoman said that more than four million students across Turkey lacked the resources to access online classes, and that 60 percent of those who do resort to using their parents' smartphones.

"We couldn't say that classes on mobile phones are effective. The Education Ministry needs to swiftly distribute the necessary devices and provide internet access," Aytekin Aydoğan noted.

Turkey's nationwide exams for high-school and higher education should also be canceled, the chairwoman said, as the elimination will further victimize students who haven't had access to remote education.

The education union had warned the state about the possible risks of re-opening schools for the academic year, and were proven right as 17 education workers died over the course of the pandemic, the chairwoman added.