The school principal was taken to the hospital by ambulance from the Irsen Kuchuk High School in occupied Nicosia today, when another girl wearing a headscarf tried to enter the building and tension arose.
According to reports in Turkish Cypriot media, the "director of secondary education" of the "ministry of education" went to the school to support the family of the girl wearing the headscarf, who tried to put the child wearing the headscarf in school, despite the refusal of the administration, the educational organizations that were there, guardians who oppose the use of the headscarf in schools, and despite the fact that the "disciplinary regulation" was canceled.
Yeni Duzen and Kipris Postasi write that due to the pressure, the high school principal fainted and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital.
According to the report by Yeni Duzen, in the morning the family went to school accompanying the girl in the headscarf and when they saw the unionists and other guardians, they told them "you are not the state, you cannot get involved, this is a public school." And they tried to put the child in the headscarf inside the school along with the "middle school principal."
The teachers said that the child was not appropriately dressed, according to the regulations in force, and could not enter the school. Eventually, writes Yeni Duzen, the family left.
Then, the publication reports, three high-ranking officials from the "Ministry of Education" went to the high school in question, went straight to the principal's office, who could not stand the pressure, according to Yeni Duzen, and fainted. The newspaper writes that with eyes full of fear, the students in the high school in question are also watching what is happening.
Speaking after the incident, the president of the Turkish Cypriot Teachers' Union, Selma Aylem, called on the "Minister of Education", Nazim Cavusoglu, to resign. Together with the union's secretary general, Tahir Gökçebel, Ms. Aylem said outside the Irsen Küçük High School that teachers from other schools, middle schools and high schools had gone there with them today in support.
All the teachers together chanted slogans in favor of Mr. Tsavousoglou's resignation.
According to the Turkish Cypriot press, yesterday the "prime minister", Unal Ustel, convened a meeting with stakeholders, namely educational organizations, "parliamentary" parties and the Turkish Cypriot Bar Association, to find a solution to the headscarf issue.
After the meeting, Mr. Ustel stated that there is also an issue of religious freedom here, but they will do what the “law” says. They should, he added, involve religious freedom in legality, saying that there are various such examples in the world. Mr. Ustel stated that they held this meeting to avert tension in society, they have made a work program and the “government” partners will also consult with each other.
The general secretary of the teachers' union, Burak Mavis, said that there is no middle ground for the "disciplinary regulation" and that the Turkish Cypriot Bar Association was clear in the meeting that this is a matter for the management of each school. The general secretary of the teachers' union, Tahir Gökçebel, said that presenting the problems in schools as a problem of freedoms only is misleading and should not be politicized in order to find a solution.
Source: KYPE
