ANKARA – The Eğitim-İş Union announced its 2024-2025 Higher Education Year-End Assessment Report to the public through press statements held in front of ODTÜ (Middle East Technical University) in Ankara and across universities throughout Turkey. The union highlighted structural problems in universities, restrictions on academic freedom, lack of meritocracy, and economic and social difficulties faced by students. It called for a free and democratic university guided by science. Chairman Kadem Özbay delivered a message: "We will not surrender to this darkness!"
The Eğitim-İş Union has brought the problems faced by the academic community and students to the agenda with a comprehensive report that examines the current state of Turkey's higher education system. The central press conference held in front of ODTÜ in Ankara saw strong participation from Eğitim-İş Chairman Kadem Özbay, all Central Executive Board Members, Birleşik Kamu-İş (United Public-Labor) Chairman Orhan Yıldırım, and Ankara branch representatives.
Universities "Under the Heaviest Siege": Rent Over Science, Partisanship Over Merit
In his statement, Chairman Kadem Özbay asserted that Turkish universities are under the heaviest siege in their history. Özbay stated that higher education, academic freedom, scientific merit, freedom of thought, and the future of youth are being usurped. "Our universities are being transformed into institutions that produce rent, not science. Loyalty is being imposed instead of academic merit, obedience instead of free thought!" he declared, emphasizing the distortions in the system. He highlighted that universities confined to apartment buildings and academic staff determined by political proximity are destroying the environment for quality education and free scientific production.
Figures Are Alarming: Where Do Turkish Universities Stand?
The report revealed that as of 2024-2025, there are over 185,000 academic staff and 6.8 million students in 208 universities in Turkey (129 state, 79 foundation), but this vast system has lost its function of producing education and science. It was noted that individuals who have not published scientific papers are appointed as rectors, and progressive academics are subjected to increasing pressure, investigations, and exiles.
Özbay criticized "apartment universities" that operate with a commercial mindset, turning into institutions that market diplomas, and whose advertising budgets surpass their R&D expenditures.
Economic Hardships and Youth Unemployment
The report drew attention to the fact that the rapid commercialization of education has alienated millions of young people from schooling. It stated that between 2015 and 2023, more than 2 million young people dropped out of university education due to economic reasons. Graduates, meanwhile, face high unemployment and low wages, the report underlined.
YÖK: A 44-Year Obstacle to Science
YÖK (Council of Higher Education), a product of the September 12 military coup, has silenced countless academics and stifled the spirit of universities, the union stated. According to the 2024 report by the European University Association, Turkey ranks 35th out of 35 countries in terms of academic autonomy, which the union described as "a clear indicator of how our universities have been subjected to the domination of a one-man regime."
Meritocracy Down, Partisans Up: Rector Appointments and Academic Staff
Rector appointments being left to the discretion of the President were sharply criticized. Despite the Constitutional Court's annulment decision on this matter, 56 rectors were appointed unconstitutionally, and the government aims to grant the President full authority to appoint YÖK members and university rectors through a new bill. The report noted that academic staff are shaped according to political loyalty rather than scientific merit, personalized positions for loyalists have become normalized, and the alarming decrease in the number of research assistants from 52,000 in 2022 to 39,000 in 2025.
University Budgets Insufficient: Investment in Obedience, Not Science?
The report compared the 2025 state university budget of 487 billion TL with the Directorate of Religious Affairs' budget of 130 billion TL. It stated that many universities suffer from inadequate technical equipment, libraries, laboratories, classrooms, dormitories, and campuses, and that research and conference participation opportunities, essential for scientific production, have been hampered by budget insufficiencies. This situation "clearly shows that the country is investing in obedience, not science," according to the union.
Declining Education Quality, Increasing Global Equivalence Risk
The drop in the number of Turkish universities in the top 1000 of URAP rankings from 18 in 2016 to 9 in 2023 was presented as evidence of declining education quality. Turkey lags behind many Middle Eastern countries in terms of scientific publication quality, and universities have "turned into structures akin to high schools." The union warned that if these policies continue for a few more years, many European countries, among others, may cease to grant equivalence certificates to graduates of Turkish universities, which would prevent young people from working abroad with their diplomas.
The union emphasized that universities have been politicized by managers appointed based on loyalty to the government rather than merit, and efforts are being made to suppress free thought and scientific production. While discussions and commemoration events are banned under archaic pretexts, reactionary structures favored by the government have become dominant in universities. The union cited the permission for Nurettin Yıldız, a figure who defends the marriage of a 6-year-old child and legitimizes pedophilia, to speak at universities as confirmation of the collapse of the country's education system.
Problems of Students and Administrative Staff
The report stated that students' attempts to assert their constitutional democratic rights are suppressed with pressure, violence, and unjust arrests, leading to their removal from universities and KYK dormitories, and the denial of their right to education. The union condemned allowing police into university campuses by government-appointed rectors and the use of violence against students.
It was highlighted that administrative and technical staff in universities face severe discrimination, that promotion exams are not held regularly, and that interview practices lead to injustices. The union stated that the additional indicators for engineers, architects, and urban planners working in the technical services class should be increased.
"Our Universities Must Be Saved!"
Eğitim-İş emphasized that for the country's scientific future and bright tomorrow, universities must regain their autonomous, democratic, and free structure. The union called for the abolition of YÖK, a legacy of the September 12 coup, and the restructuring of universities as independent, democratic educational and research institutions free from political authorities. It stressed the need for democratic and participatory management mechanisms in universities, with governance by boards elected by university components rather than by rectors appointed by the President. The union demanded an immediate end to invasive policies undermining university autonomy and pressure on academics, students, and administrative staff. It also called for sufficient budget allocation to higher education, transforming universities into centers of universal knowledge and science where R&D activities are strengthened. It specified that scientific freedoms should be exercised while considering societal needs and priorities, research areas should align with scientific developments, and educational programs and course content should be updated accordingly. Finally, it demanded that the salaries, working conditions, and professional rights of academic and administrative staff be regulated to ensure humane living and working conditions based on merit.
The union stated its unwavering support for the struggle for university freedom and autonomy, pledging to take illegal actions to court.
"We will continue to fight together to save our universities!" the union concluded its press statement.