Students complain about further restrictions at state dormitories

This article was published on the Atölye BİA (BİA Workshop) website.

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University students staying in the dorms of the Student Loans and Dormitories Institution (KYK) had the right to stay outside of their dorms for 75 days in a year. With a new decision, the KYK reduced it to 30 days.

However, there has not been any official announcement or statement about this new arrangement. The officials questions from bianet saying they did not receive any official announcements.

The students staying in the dorms affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports learned about the new arrangement not with an official announcement but when they signed into the application they use in order to take a leave.

The KYK has 776 dorms across the country, with a total capacity of 759,838 students. The new limitation is concerning all students staying in these dorms. The students staying in KYK dorms have to be at the dorm between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

"I will have no social life"

bianet talked to the university students affected. Ebru, one such student said reducing the number of leave days will affect their social life.

"I am studying public relations. I want to participate in social activities, training activities and trips. However our right to 75 days of leave was reduced to 30 days. Our social life was restricted due to the economic conditions now it will end completely," she said.

Melike, another student staying in a dorm, said, "Not everybody is coming to the university from a nearby city. I am using half of my leave days traveling to and then back from my family. So now will I have no social life at all?

"We already had many problems in KYK dorms related to the meals, the internet, the high number of students, but now our number of leave days has dropped. When will we be respected?"

Gonca, another student who has to work, said that she will have a problem since the time she gets out of work is later than the time she has to be in the dorm the latest.

She says, "I am working two days a week. I sometimes get out of work at midnight. I have to stay with my friend on those days. I will be a victim in such a case."

"An arbitrary practice"

Chairperson of the Education and Science Workers Union (Eğitim-Sen), Nejla Kurul, told bianet that she sees this move "as an obstacle for young people to liberate themselves."

"It is arbitrary to drop the number of leave days from 75 to 30 without any amendment in the regulation. The students should defend their right to leave days," she added.

KYK Communication Center authorities also responded to questions from bianet and they said that they did not receive any official documents but they learned that the number of leave days was dropped to 30 with a message delivered.

The right to leave days for the students still reads as 75 days in the official website of KYK in the part on permission processes.
Züleyha Gülüm, İstanbul DP of People's Democratic Party (HDP) submitted a parliamentary question in relation to this new practice but there has not been any response until now. (MU/AÖ/PE/VK)