‘They want to create a model of educated, obedient woman in Turkey’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The 2021 Annual Program of the Presidency of Turkey was published in the Official Gazette yesterday (October 28).

Among a series of other plans for next year, it has also been indicated that "women's universities" will be established in the country in 2021.

Shortly after the program was shared with the public, it sparked criticisms and caused public outrage, especially among women and the opposition.

Against this backdrop, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Women's Branch Chair Aylin Nazlıaka has released a written statement and harshly criticized the decision. Referring to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Nazlıaka has briefly said:

"The AKP government has so far considered women through its insistence on 'having three children', 'anti-abortion', 'right to alimony' and 'opposition to the İstanbul Convention'. There is now an attempt to create a model of educated and obedient woman."

'Taking Japan as an example is meaningful'

In her statement about the issue, Aylin Nazlıaka has stressed that "in Turkey's current mixed education model, women manage to be successful despite all impasses of the educational system."

Indicating that "condemning women to Japan's obsolete model of women's universities is unacceptable," Nazlıaka has asked the authorities, "What is the reason for the insistence on this vicious cycle?"

CHP's Nazlıaka has also criticized the "interference of a mindset that does not believe in gender equality and approaches women from the perspective of natural disposition into the academic sphere."

Raising concerns that "women's organizations, political parties and students had not even been consulted" before introducing this "top-down model," Aylin Nazlıaka has said, "It is highly meaningful that the model of women's universities has been taken from Japan, a country which is backward even from Turkey in terms of gender equality."

What happened?

Mukogawa Women's University of Japan awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree to President and ruling AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 27, 2019. In his speech there, Erdoğan said:

"Several of our Western neighbors preferred to hide behind high walls and barbed wires. Neither the cries of mothers and fathers hugging the deceased bodies of their children, nor the images of torture coming from the prisons or the tears of innocent children were enough to persuade them to act.

"Whatever the circumstances, we will continue protecting the oppressed and suffered regardless of their ethnic identities, beliefs or skin colors. We will examine the 80 women's universities [in Japan] and take steps for that."

Erdoğan delivered another speech at the graduation ceremony of international students on July 3, 2019 and stated that the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) must work on the issue of women's universities:

"I saw it at the G20 summit, 10 percent of 800 universities in Japan are women's universities. They only consist of girls. I remind the YÖK Chair [about it]. Do your work accordingly. This is very important.

"A similar step must be taken in Turkey. The example of universities solely consisting of girls in Japan is interesting. Our country used to have girls' and boys' high schools. Then, they mixed them."

With the Official Gazette published on October 28, it is now officially confirmed that "women's universities" are poised to be founded in Turkey. (EMK/SD)