Turkey's Education Ministry reports 37 child deaths in MESEM since 2016

September 12, 2026 at 06:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Turkey's Ministry of National Education reported 37 child deaths and 9,950 workplace accidents in MESEM vocational training centers for 2025-2026, according to a parliamentary response on September 3, 2026. The figures contradict a June 23 response citing 13 deaths and 3,080 accidents since 2016. Eğitim-İş union leader Kadem Özbay demanded the ministry explain the discrepancy and be held accountable.

Key Facts

The Ministry of National Education reported 37 child deaths and 9,950 workplace accidents in MESEM centers for 2025-2026 in a parliamentary response on September 3, 2026.
A June 23, 2026 parliamentary response cited 13 child deaths and 3,080 workplace accidents in MESEM centers since 2016.
Eğitim-İş General President Kadem Özbay said the difference between the two figures represents children's lives, not a statistical debate.
Özbay stated that in the last three months, more than 6,000 workplace accidents occurred and 24 more children were driven to death.
Özbay claimed that the ministry's admitted total of 9,950 accidents and 37 deaths is only the tip of the iceberg.

Contradictory Ministry Data

The Ministry of National Education provided two different sets of figures to the Turkish Grand National Assembly within three months. On June 23, 2026, the ministry reported 3,080 workplace accidents and 13 child deaths in MESEM centers since 2016. On September 3, 2026, the ministry reported 9,950 workplace accidents and 37 child deaths for only 2025 and 2026. The September figures show an increase of more than 6,000 accidents and 24 deaths compared to the June data.

Union Criticism

Eğitim-İş General President Kadem Özbay said the ministry must immediately explain the discrepancy and be held accountable. Özbay stated that the two written responses to parliament reveal child labor and murders that are being covered up. He argued that the ministry either does not want to disclose the truth or lacks the inspection mechanisms to track what happens in MESEM centers. Özbay said that in the model presented as 'one day school, four days workplace,' children are actually made to work six days a week. He described MESEM as child labor, not a vocational education model, and said the deaths and injuries show that MESEM is murder.

Unreported Cases

Özbay said tens of thousands of children psychologically injured by pressure, violence, humiliation, and fear of death are not included in the ministry's data. He stated that the ministry's admitted total of 9,950 accidents and 37 deaths is only the tip of the iceberg. Özbay said hundreds of children who were injured but not taken to hospital and continued to work without their accidents being recorded are missing from the tally.