Καταγγελία της ΚΤΟΣ σχετικά με την εκπαίδευση των δασκάλων στην τ/κ κοινότητα σε ιδιωτικό πανεπιστήμιο

7.4.2010

Dear Sir or Madam;

According to the 20. and 87. articles of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus Constitution, although the educational and cultural activities administration were given to the Turkish Cypriots, after the division of the island in 1974 with the military intervention of Turkey, there has been created a subordinate local administration of Turkey in the north of the island. This seperatist political structure forsees the education issues as a part of the integration of Turkey.

After 1974, Turkey’s assimilation and integration policy towards the north of the island has become as the colonization of the northern part of the island in the proper sense. Educational activities as well as matters are dealt with this perspective, economic and seperatist policies are being served in this way with the acceleration of the establishment of private universities such as Near East University, which sees the students as “customers”. The real aims of the Near East University which is one of the private universities can be summarized as follows:

1.To provide TR citizens in the northern part of the island.
2.To serve culutrual and social integration by raising the interest and communication of the Turkish Cypriots and the transferred population from Turkey.
3.To keep the seperatist structure afloat by creating an economic action area and benefiting from it.
4.To defeat the right of public education of the Turkish Cypriots.
5.To accelerate the transfer of population from Turkey.

As can be seen, Near East University which does not consider quality education as a main aim, nowadays; has been interfering with the Turkish Cypriots long established higher education institutions. Since 1937, Teachers Academy has been training qualified teachers with a planned way and it has become the target of assimilation and integration policies. Instead of training qualified teachers, the Near East University is forseen and given permission to let the academy closed by “training teachers for cash”. The objective is, abolishing a historical constitution which belongs to the Turkish Cypriots and with the universities; to abolish the structure of training qualified teachers.

Although it is seen as privatization, it is clear that this matter is a political attempt which is tried to be veiled by the local compradors. These universities are said to be established because of political and economic reasons, there are private universities in every part of the northern part of the island and these give diploma upon cash. On the other hand, they apply for membership of the Bologna process and other international organizations which is ridiculous. The institutions which regard Scientific publication, training qualified students, research as a prior issue, and which try to benefit for political and economic reasons, can not be an education institution in a proper sense. Our trade union will continue to defend quality public education against the Near East University and other private universities which see the students as customers in the north of the island. Our union will struggle against the structure which serves for assimilation and integration policies. In these terms, our trade union has been organizing actions and strikes since 1st April in order to abolish the decision of the seperatist regimes of closing of the Teachers Academy which trains planned and qualified teachers. Regarding this matter, we would like to highlight the importance and urgency of knowing the real function of the private universities in the north oart of our island, need and expect your solidarity against the assimilation policies since the Turkish Cypriots suffer.

Sincerely,

SENER ELCIL
SECRETARY GENERAL of KTOS