Far-Right Conservative Parties Target Co-education System in Türkiye

18-07-2023

Ecenur Uyanık

Women’s Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

A discussion on co-education in Türkiye began when the Turkish Minister of Education, Yusuf Tekin, made some controversial statements regarding co-education and the issue of girls’ education at a live broadcast he attended. Tekin proposed opening same-sex schools to “convince parents” to send their children to schools (Duvar English, 2023). Tekin claimed that families who did not permit their girls to attend school said, “I do not want to send my child to a school that boys attend as well”. Addressing these statements, Tekin claimed that the solution to this problem would be opening girls-only schools in order to ensure the schooling of girls and to convince the parents to send their girls to school (Atila, 2023). 

Tekin, who said that his main goal was to increase girls’ education rate and that he was all for co-education despite his contradicting remarks, received support from some of the nationalist and conservatist members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) (Atila, 2023). Gaziantep Minister Şahzade Demir of HÜDAPAR, the far-right conservatist party that targets women’s freedom in Türkiye, gave his support to the Minister of Education in his speech at the Parliament, stating that, “No one should force parents to send their children to co-educational institutions. There should be girls-only schools and boys-only schools, alongside co-educational institutions” (Atila, 2023). 

Further support came from President Erdogan’s coalition partner Mustafa Destici, leader of the Great Union Party (BBP), another far-right nationalist conservative party. Destici stated that Türkiye does not need to adapt its way of living according to the standards of the “imperialist west” or leftist ideals. Highlighting the womens-only universities in Japan, Destici claimed that, if necessary, female-only universities and women’s hospitals should be established in Türkiye as well (Yeniçağ, 2023). Destici further claimed that those who oppose same-sex schools under the name of secularism are opposing because of their “hostility towards faith and the religion of Islam, as their real intention is to disregard and abolish Islam ideals in Turkish society”. He went on to say that parents and families should have the final say on girls’ education, and not the state (Bianet, 2023). 

Backing up Destici’s remarks, the former imam (preacher) of Ayasofya Mosque added his own controversial statements to the discussion. Targeting secularism in Türkiye, he stated that “If secularism prevents the establishment of separate schools for girls, then secularism should be abolished” (OdaTV, 2023). 

On the opposing side, Turkish Workers’ Party Minister Sera Kadıgil also participated in the discussion in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Speaking to Cumhuriyet TV, Kadıgil said that Tekin was trying to “test the waters” to see how introducing conservative authoritarian ideals like same-sex education would be received by the public, and that the government was targeting the secular republic through threats to women’s rights first. She urged everyone, especially women, to push back and raise their voices (Atila, 2023).

With the ongoing discussions, lawyers, womens’ associations and education specialists highlight that it is wrong to “test the waters” on this subject, and that it is time for the public opinion to make a statement in opposition. Lawyer Selin Nakıpoğlu sees it as a contradiction that the AKP, ruling party of Türkiye, advocated for all women and girls’ right to receive education and be allowed to attend educational institutions while wearing a headscarf back in the 2000s, but now an AKP minister has come out and voiced the possibility of girls-only schools. She stated that it is a shame that these issues are being talked about at the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic, reacting to Tekin’s remarks about letting the parents decide whether to send their girls to school (Atila, 2023). 

Nakıpoğlu concluded her remarks by stating that a Taliban-mentality has no place in Türkiye, and that the public should respond to Tekin and his supporters who are trying to set Türkiye back at least 200 years (Atila, 2023). 

Sources and further reading

Destici'den Bakan'a destek: Kadın üniversiteleri ve hastaneleri de açmalıyız. (July 14, 2023). Bianet. Retrieved on July 18, 2023 from https://m.bianet.org/bianet/print/281535-destici-den-bakan-a-destek-kadin-universiteleri-ve-hastaneleri-de-acmaliyiz 

Erdoğan’s ally proposes opening all women hospitals and universities (July 14, 2023). Duvar English. Retrieved on July 18, 2023 from https://www.duvarenglish.com/erdogans-ally-proposes-opening-all-women-hospitals-and-universities-news-62732 

Kız okulları tartışması sürüyor: O laikliği kaldırmak gerekir. (July 13, 2023). OdaTV. Retrieved on July 18, 2023 from https://www.odatv4.com/guncel/kiz-okullari-tartismasi-suruyor-o-laikligi-kaldirmak-gerekir-68470254 

Mustafa Destici: Kız çocukları için ayrı okullar açılmalı. Her ilde en bir kadın hastanesi de olmalı. (July 14, 2023). Yeniçağ Gazetesi. Retrieved on July 18, 2023 from https://www.yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/mustafa-destici-kiz-cocuklari-icin-ayri-okullar-acilmali-her-ilde-en-bir-kadin-686264h.htm. 

Mustafa Destici’den Bakan Tekin’in “kız okulları” açıklamasına destek: Kadın üniversiteleri açmalıyız, her ilde kadın hastanesi planlamalıyız. (July 17, 2023). Politikyol. Retrieved on July 18, 2023 from https://www.politikyol.com/mustafa-desticiden-bakan-tekinin-kiz-okullari-aciklamasina-destek-kadin-universiteleri-acmaliyiz-her-ilde-kadin-hastanesi-planlamaliyiz/ 

Sahra Atila (July 14, 2023). Milli Eğitim Bakanı’nın “kız okulları” açıklamasına tepki: “Laik cumhuriyetle, kadınlar üzerinden hesaplaşmaya çalışıyorlar”. Medyascope TV. Retrieved on July 18, 2023 from https://medyascope.tv/2023/07/14/milli-egitim-bakaninin-kiz-okullari-aciklamasina-tepkilaik-cumhuriyetle-kadinlar-uzerinden-hesaplasmaya-calisiyorlar/