The American Physical Society published a piece in their June issue telling how the theory of evolution has been absent from Turkey’s education sector.
The National Education Ministry (NEM) officially stood against it in 1980. Since 2001, evolutionary theory has been disappearing from school curriculum. With the exception of students who are pursuing science-related careers, the majority of students are not engaging with evolution based materials. Many of these students are preparing for the central university entrance exams away from Turkey’s government schools. Currently, universities in Turkey do not offer undergraduate or graduate degrees in evolutionary biology related fields. Students interested in researching courses on the evolutionary science topics discover that information is not easily found. Anti-evolution books are readily found and circulate throughout the country. Discussion panels have been banned.
More recently, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) refused to fund a summer training program on evolution for postgraduate students. They reason is that evolution is “too controversial.” They say that “the chosen topic of evolution is a subject that is being debated in the world just as it is in our country and it is a subject that is taught as a subject in secondary schools and higher levels, and it lacks innovation. The educational and/or political, cultural and social dimensions of the event seem to be more emphasized in the planned event than scientific content.” Furthermore, the same agency denied a US$18,000 grant to a workshop that would expose “Turkish biology students to population genetics, game theory, and evolutionary modeling.”
Nearly 30% of undergraduates accept the theory. There are Turkish academic supporters of evolutionary biology. Scholars on both sides of the issue will continue the debate as it affects the education of students in Turkey.
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