Turkey's Education Minister Yusuf Tekin swaps 'Kurtuluş Savaşı' for 'Milli Mücadele' in curricula

The Ministry of National Education announced that the term “Kurtuluş Savaşı” will be removed from school textbooks and replaced by “Milli Mücadele” as part of a curriculum overhaul for the 2024‑2025 school year. Minister Yusuf Tekin presented the change in a meeting with AKP parliamentarians, describing it as a correction of “cognitive load” and noting that other concepts are also being updated (e.g., “Byzantine” to “East Roman”, “Ormanlarımız” to “Yeşil Vatan”). Tekin said, “Now we say ‘Milli Mücadele’ instead of ‘Kurtuluş Savaşı’.” The revision is part of the “Turkey’s Century Education Model” that aims to modernize teaching content.

The announcement provoked strong reactions from opposition figures and commentators. CHP deputy Deniz Yavuzyılmaz condemned the move, stating that “the founding values of the Republic are not up for debate,” while other critics argued that the change undermines the historical legacy of the War of Independence. Various political leaders and historians have voiced concerns that the terminology shift reflects an ideological agenda rather than an educational need.