Regulation allowing 'bonnets and bandanas' in TRNC middle schools withdrawn

In the TRNC, the regulation that allowed students to attend classes wearing "bonnets and bandanas"—introduced after a female student was not allowed into the Irsen Küçük Middle School in the capital Nicosia last week wearing a headscarf—has been withdrawn.

Speaking about the regulation, which was withdrawn following demands from the main opposition and protests organized by the Cyprus Turkish Teachers' Union (KTÖS), TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel stated that they had no intention of dividing the public or creating tension.

Stating that religious beliefs should be respected, Üstel noted that the regulation would be withdrawn due to the tension it caused in society and would be reintroduced to the public through a broader consultation process.

IT HAD DRAWN CRITICISM

Last week, a female student attending Irsen Küçük Middle School in Nicosia was not allowed into the school wearing a headscarf; the school administration, accompanied by a pedagogue, informed the child that she could not be admitted with a headscarf and that this authority rested with the school administration.

The family subsequently submitted a written complaint to the Ministry of National Education, requesting that their daughter's right to education not be taken away and that she be allowed to continue her schooling.

After the school administration suggested that the family send their child to the Theology College, the Ministry of National Education brought the matter to the agenda of the TRNC Council of Ministers.

Reacting to the decision, the Cyprus Turkish Teachers' Union (KTÖS) left black wreaths in front of the TRNC Assembly of the Republic and the Nicosia Embassy in protest.

News Source: İHA