TRNC Teachers’ Unions Light Fires of Protest Against New Disciplinary Regulation

The Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS) and the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS) staged a powerful protest against a new school regulation that includes rules on wearing the hijab, introduced as part of an updated disciplinary statute. As a symbol of their resistance, demonstrators lit protest fires outside the TRNC Parliament.

Organizers emphasized that the “fire of struggle” will keep burning until the disciplinary regulation—approved by the Council of Ministers—is repealed and tensions are resolved. KTOEÖS President stated that fires will be lit outside the parliament building every day until April 28.

Protesters chanted slogans such as “Government, resign!”, “Unity, struggle, solidarity!”, and “We will win through resistance.”
KTÖS Secretary General Burak Maviş thanked everyone who took part, adding that people are exhausted by the country’s ongoing problems and have come together to “send home those who created them.”

Before the demonstration, police secured the area around parliament using sniffer dogs.

Last week, the Council of Ministers officially approved the “Regulation on Rules and Discipline to Be Observed in Secondary Schools and Educational Institutions, Both On and Off Campus.” The regulation came into force following its publication in the Official Gazette. One of its most controversial aspects concerns the dress code, specifically the wearing of hijabs by female students.

The proposal had been previously passed but was later withdrawn for further review after sparking major public backlash. Teachers’ unions have remained strongly opposed. Just last week, around 13,000 people from 40 organizations joined a large protest in Nicosia to voice their discontent.