Teachers' union: the right to education is violated in Northern Cyprus

The Teachers' Union of Turkish Cypriots (KTÖS), in a written statement on 10 December — Human Rights Day — noted the continued serious violations of rights in Northern Cyprus, including the disregard for the right to education.

Sevgi Erhalach, the union’s secretary for human rights and equality, said in a statement that the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are being ignored and that the region continues to bear the consequences of authoritarian rule, leading to serious rights violations.

Erhalach pointed out that students in Northern Cyprus are forced to attend overcrowded classes and to study in containers, and that necessary solutions to address infrastructure problems have not been implemented. According to the union, this is clear evidence of ignoring the declaration’s core principles.

KTÖS says it intends to continue defending the right to education and to fight for a society in which equal, free and dignified people can exercise all their rights. Erhalach issued the call: “Achieving this is not difficult. Let the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be our guide, and may our strength in the struggle never run out.”

For residents of Northern Cyprus, these statements mean that problems with school infrastructure and class overcrowding remain pressing and continue to affect the conditions in which children learn.