Turkish school curriculum replaces Central Asia with Turkistan

By Alper Sasmaz and Kanyshai Butun

ANKARA / ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye has added the concept of “Turkistan” to its curriculum to replace Central Asia to better ensure the unity of the Turkic world, the nation’s education minister said in the capital Ankara Tuesday.

Yusuf Tekin underlined that the new concept represents a challenge to issues “deliberately” introduced to “divide” the Turkic world.

In the Turkish curriculum, geographical names with “imperial connotations” are being replaced, he said.

“We have made, and continue to make, significant changes to our curriculum that shape the subconscious of our children and youth,” he underlined.

Tekin stressed his desire to see references from Turkish state tradition prioritizing human rights, justice, and law included.

"Our history will serve as an example to other states around the world. The failure to integrate the writings of our forebears into scholarly literature is our shortcoming as academics. We must do this as soon as possible,” he urged.