Religious Education Policy in Turkey and England: A Comparative Perspective

366 Pages·2020·2.558 MB·English

by  Abdurrahman HENDEK

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It has long been recognised that education policy has U
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been questioned, critiqued and reformed in response T
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to a variety of supranational and national factors. In N IN TURKEY AND
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the field of religious education, there has been a O
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growing argument for comparative works to study this IC
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relationship between wider factors and religious IN
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education policy. U
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This boook seeks to present a comparison of religious K A COMPARATIVE
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education policy in state schools in two strikingly A
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different countries, Turkey and England, by D PERSPECTIVE
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interviewing various policy actors, to unravel some of N
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the complexities and contestations around supranati- LA
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onal and national factors and their influence on religi- D
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ous education policy. The findings of this book give C
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insights into how different policy actors view and M
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interpret supranational and national factors and their A
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influence on religious education policy. The findings T
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have relevance for debates about the role of religion in E
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY IN
TURKEY AND ENGLAND:
A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
© All rights are reserved by Ensar Neşriyat
E-ISBN: 978-605-80183-7-2
Title
Religious Education Policy in Turkey and England:
A Comparative Perspective
Author
Abdurrahman HENDEK
Publishing Coordinator
Hulusi YİĞİT
Production
Salih BOZAN
Design
Nuray YÜKSEL
First Published
2020 December
Contact
Ensar Neşriyat Tic. A.Ş.
Düğmeciler Mah. Karasüleyman Tekke Sok. No: 7 Eyüpsultan / İstanbul
Tel: [phone] - 04 Faks: (0212) 438 42 04
www.ensarnesriyat.com.tr [email protected]
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY
IN TURKEY AND ENGLAND: A
COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Abdurrahman Hendek
2020
Dr. Abdurrahman Hendek
Abdurrahman Hendek received a BA in Theology at Çanakkale On-
sekiz Mart University, Turkey and a MA in Religious Education at
King’s College London, the UK. He, then, completed a PhD in Edu-
cation at the University of Oxford, the UK. He currently works as an
Assistant Professor of Religious Education at the Faculty of Theology,
Sakarya University, Turkey. His academic interests include religious
education policy, comparative religious education, home schooling
and hifz.
Contents
Abbreviations 7
Acknowledgements 9
Abstract 11
1. Introduction 13
1.1. Relevance of the Research 15
1.2. Terms and Limitations 18
1.3. Contents of Chapters 22
1.4. Conclusion 24
2. Conceptual Framework 25
2.1. Introduction 25
2.2. Comparative Education Research 25
2.3. Comparative Religious Education Research 28
2.4. Conceptualising Supranational and National Factors 32
2.5. Research Question 43
2.6. Supranational Factors 44
2.7. Conclusion 60
3. Methodology 62
3.1. Introduction 62
3.2. Religious Education Policy 62
3.3. Selection of Cases 65
3.4. Qualitative Research 69
3.5. Data Collection 70
3.6. Data Analysis 83
3.7. Reflexivity 88
3.8. Ethical Considerations 92
3.9. Conclusion 94
6 Religious Education Policy in Turkey and England: A Comparative Perspective
4. National Factors 96
4.1. Introduction 96
4.2. Politics 96
4.3. State and Religion 105
4.4. The School System 112
4.5. Particularities and Peculiarities 118
4.6. Teachers 126
4.7. Conclusion 134
5. Supranational Factors 137
5.1. Introduction 137
5.2. Supranational Religious Education Policy 137
5.3. Secularisation 150
5.4. Pluralisation 168
5.5. Conclusion 181
6. Influence 183
6.1. Introduction 183
6.2. Religious Education Reform 183
6.3. Charge of Confessionality 204
6.4. Omissions and Additions 224
6.5. Confusion 233
6.6. Marginalisation 245
6.7. Calls for Reform 256
6.8. Conclusion 273
7. Discussion: Supranational and National Factors and Religious 275
Education Policy
7.1. Introduction 275
7.2. Factors 275
7.3. Mechanisms 280
7.4. Consequences 288
7.5. Conclusion 290
8. Conclusion: Sensitising for Plurality 292
8.1. Introduction 292
8.2. Implications 292
8.3. Personal Reflection 303
8.4. Concluding Remarks 303
9. Appendix: Interview Questions 307
10. References 308
Religious Education Policy in Turkey and England: A Comparative Perspective 7
Abbreviations
AMSS : Association of Muslim Social Scientists
APPG RE : All Party Parliamentary Group for Religious Education
AULRE : Association of University Lecturers in Religion and Edu-
cation in the United Kingdom
BERA : British Educational Research Association
BHA : British Humanist Association
CORAB : Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life
CUREC : Central University Research Ethics Committee
DCSF : Department for Children, Schools and Families (replaced
by the DfE)
DfE : Department for Education
DÖGM : Din Öğretimi Genel Müdürlüğü (General Directorate of Re-
ligious Instruction, the Ministry of National Education)
EBacc : English Baccalaureate
ECHR : European Convention on Human Rights
ECRI : European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
ECtHR : European Court of Human Rights
ERI : Education Reform Initiative, Turkey (Eğitim Reformu
Girişimi)
ESWU : Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim ve Bilim
Emekçileri Sendikası; known as Eğitim Sen).
ETU : Educators Trade Union (Eğitim Bir Sen)
EU : European Union
GCSE : General Certificate of Secondary Education
HC Deb : House of Commons Debates
IARF : International Association for Religious Freedom
ISREV : International Seminar on Religious Education and Values
MEB : Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı (Ministry of National Education,
Turkey)
8 Religious Education Policy in Turkey and England: A Comparative Perspective
MRG : Minority Rights Group International
NASACRE : National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on
Religious Education
NATRE : National Association of Teachers of Religious Education
NSS : National Secular Society
Ofsted : Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services
and Skills
OSCE : Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
PISA : Programme for International Student Assessment
PRA : Presidency of Religious Affairs, Turkey (Diyanet İşleri
Başkanlığı; DIB)
QCA : Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
RE : religious education
REC : Religious Education Council of England and Wales
REDCo : Religion in Education. A contribution to Dialogue or a
factor of Conflict in transforming societies of European
Countries
RELIGARE : Religious Diversity and Secular Models in Europe – In-
novative Approaches to Law and Policy
SACRE : Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education
TBMM : Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi (Grand National Assembly of
Turkey)
TEU : Turk Education Union (Türk Eğitim Sen)
UK : United Kingdom
UN : United Nations
USA : United States of America
USCIRF : United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom
Religious Education Policy in Turkey and England: A Comparative Perspective 9
Acknowledgements
Praise be to the God, the Cherisher and the Sustainer of the Worlds.
My utmost gratitude is reserved for the God, to Him I belong and to
Him I shall return.
This book is based on my PhD research at the University of Ox-
ford entitled A Comparative Study of Religious Education Policy in Turkey
and England. Therefore, I owe a debt of gratitude to several people.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Ministry of National Educa-
tion of Turkey for funding my MA and DPhil studies. Moreover, very
special thanks go to Dr. Liam Gearon and Dr. Nigel Fancourt who pa-
tiently supported me throughout my research. I am grateful to Pro-
fessor Mehmet Ali Büyükkara, Professor Muhsin Akbaş, Professor
Recep Kaymakcan, Dr. Nimetullah Akın and Dr. Mahmut Salihoğlu
who encouraged and helped me to pursue my degree in England.
Furthermore, I appreciate the help and support of Professor Andrew
Wright, Dr. L. Philip Barnes and Professor Meg Maguire at King’s Col-
lege London. Moreover, I have greatly benefited from the discussions
with Professor Trevor Cooling, Professor Alis Oancea, Dr. David Mills,
Dr. Katharine Burn, Dr. David Johnson and Dr. Kerem Öktem. I am
particularly grateful to the participants of this study for their time,
help and insight.
I also would like to thank my friends and peers, Dr. Rahman Dağ,
Dr. Hüsrev Tabak, Dr. İbrahim Yılmaz, Dr. İlyas Fırat Cengiz, Mehmet
Tiren, Mehmet Emin Çetinkaya and Fatih Şafak, for offering me ad-
vice and supporting me through this process. I want to thank my late
father, mother, sisters and especially my elder brother, Adem Hendek,
who has always been a light and inspiration for me. Last but not least,
I must thank my own family: my wife Ayşe, son Hüseyin Eymen, and
daughter Meryem Erva. Thanks to them for being supportive, patient
and qurrota a’yun (Qur’an, 25: 74): ‘the coolness of my eye’.