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The Turkish Cypriot administration’s decision to permit headscarves in secondary schools has ignited fierce debate, with teachers’ unions and opposition figures condemning it as part of a broader push towards religious conservatism.
The move is particularly controversial given that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has traditionally been more secular and socially liberal than mainland Turkiye, where religious influence on politics has grown over the decades.
The new regulation, which took effect on Monday, allows students to wear headscarves for religious reasons, provided that they are plain, single-coloured and match the school uniform.
KKTC’de Başörtüsü Yasağı Kaldırıldı.
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti (KKTC) Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı, okullarda başörtüsünü yasaklayan ve kız öğrencilerin başlarını nasıl örtmesi gerektiğini belirleyen yeni bir düzenlemeye imza attı.https://t.co/WIR6lpHMjh
— Alper Tan (@alpertan66) March 18, 2025
According to Hurriyet, the amendment was introduced after a female student at Irsen Kucuk Secondary School in Nicosia was barred from attending class for wearing a headscarf last week. Following a complaint from her family, the Ministry of National Education took the issue to the Council of Ministers, which approved the new regulation.
Education Minister Nazim Cavusoglu defended the move, telling Turkish newspaper Sabah: “We did not have a problem in our high schools and middle schools. With this decision, we have overcome the headscarf ban in middle schools.”
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Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci criticised the policy, stating, “The main thing in education is to deal with the inside of children’s heads… They make their own decisions about the outside of their heads when they reach the age at which they can act with their own free will.”
The leader of the opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Tufan Erhurman, accused the ruling coalition in Northern Cyprus of fostering social division. “You cannot be unaware that when you make such a change, you will create a debate, even a confrontation, in society over ‘secular education’ and ‘freedoms,’” he warned.
Teachers’ unions staged protests, with the Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS) leader Selma Eylem condemning the move as an attempt at “social engineering.”
While critics see the policy as Ankara’s increasing influence, supporters, including Transport Minister Erhan Arikli, argue that similar policies exist in the Republic of Cyprus, questioning the opposition’s stance on religious freedoms in a potential future federation.
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