Eğitim-İş Union Strongly Protests YÖK's Discriminatory Decision Regarding Earthquake-Affected Students

Following the recent decision by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) to extend educational facilities for students in earthquake-affected areas, a new wave of protests has been initiated by professional and educational organizations. On July 16, 2026, the council announced that the right to benefit from 'Special Student' (Özel Öğrencilik) status has been extended for the 2026-2027 academic year, but this decision only includes students from universities located in the provinces of Adıyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya [3].

Removal of Osmaniye and the Sharp Reaction of Eğitim-İş The Eğitim-İş union, particularly its Osmaniye branch, reacted immediately after the news was released. Adem Yücel, the president of the union's Osmaniye branch, questioned YÖK's decision in a press statement, asking, "Did an earthquake not occur in Osmaniye?" He emphasized that removing Osmaniye from this list, while the province also suffered serious damage from the February 6, 2023 earthquakes, has no scientific, legal, or conscientious justification [1][4].

According to Yücel, many students in Osmaniye are still struggling with problems caused by building destruction and unfavorable living conditions. He believes that creating a distinction between students who experienced a similar disaster causes inequality in educational opportunities [2].

Details of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Decision According to the official statement from YÖK, the right to special student status, which was established after the devastating 2023 earthquakes to prevent students from falling behind academically, has been extended for the fourth consecutive year. This law allows students to study at universities in other provinces as special guest students without needing to pay extra fees or meet strict permanent transfer requirements [3]. However, limiting this right to four specific provinces has made students living in other affected areas like Osmaniye feel ignored [1].

Demands for Educational Justice and Equality The Eğitim-İş union has requested YÖK authorities to immediately reconsider this decision and include all provinces in the earthquake zone in the plan without discrimination. The union warned that such decisions not only harm the academic progress of students but also undermine public trust in justice within the educational system [2][4].

Currently, affected students and families in Osmaniye are waiting for an official response from the Council of Higher Education to see if this geographical discrimination will be corrected. This issue has become one of the hot topics in the Turkish media in recent days [1].