The theory of evolution is an “archaic and decayed” theory, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has claimed, as debate continues over evolution’s lessened significance in Turkey’s new draft national curriculum.

“Scientifically, the theory of evolution is already an archaic and disproven theory. There is no such rule that this theory must be taught. Perhaps it might be brought to the agenda as one of the theories,” Kurtulmus said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk on Jan. 29.

“The opinion that those who believe in and know about the theory of evolution are modern and progressive people, while those who oppose it are reactionary and outdated, is actually an outdated opinion itself. The theory of evolution is one of the opinions that was also discussed through the ancient history, so I do not find discussions about it right,” he added.

The Education Ministry on Jan. 13 published the draft national education curriculum to the public, after which it was seen that the evolution chapter had been lifted from senior biology high-school students’ lessons.

The draft also drew harsh criticisms for its suggested coverage of a number of key topics for Turkish students, with classes on history, life sciences, Kemalism and positive sciences at the heart of the debates.