Council of Higher Education Cancels Gender Equality Project

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The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) has announced that it canceled the "Higher Education Institutions Gender Equality Project."

YÖK's Commission for Women's Studies and Problems in the Academy prepared the project in 2015. The project was issued to the universities by the YÖK in a "document of stance." YÖK also removed the document from its website.

"It is not suitable our social values"

YÖK Chair Yekta Saraç said the meaning assigned to the project was "outside of what was wanted."

Asserting that the project is "not suitable with our social values," and it was "not accepted by the society", Saraç stated that the YÖK was working to make changes to the project for a while.

"As of today, the works regarding the removal of the notion 'gender equality' from the document of stance is at the final phase and will be announced to our universities shortly," Saraç said.

Cancelation by Education Ministry

The Ministry of National Education also conducted a Gender Equality Project from 2014 to 2016. After Ziya Selçuk assumed office as the Minister of National Education, the project was canceled in January.

Education Workers' Union: Gender equality education is a must

Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen) criticized the YÖK's decision to cancel the gender equality project. It said the following in a written statement:

"This should be clearly known that efforts and institutionalization for gender equality in all fields of life and in the academy in Turkey did not begin with Yekta Saraç end will not and with one single statement by himself!

"As the Eğitim-Sen, we will continue to tell the public and spread the basis and principles of the document that was removed from the Council of Higher Education's website a while ago.

"Our dreams of equality and freedom does not fit into your "suitable" darkness." (EMK/VK)