Bill to split Istanbul University protested by faculty members, students

Mesude Erşan - ISTANBUL

Hundreds of students and faculty members on April 24 protested against a bill submitted to the Turkish Parliament to split Istanbul University.

Protesters gathered in front of the Istanbul University’s main gate at the city’s historic Beyazıt Square.

“What they are doing is tearing the historical ties apart, abolishing shared values, cutting off roots. By doing this they aim to control universities more easily … They want to manage the invaluable estates of the university through a divide and rule policy against faculties,” said Turkish Medical Association (TTB) head Prof. Raşit Tükel, a member of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine.

“This project aims to destroy Istanbul University. We will not accept the uprooting of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine or the Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine,” said Prof. Pınar Saip, head of Istanbul Medical Chamber and a member of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine.

“We will guard this historical value with our 300,000 students, 8,000 faculty members and millions of graduates,” Saip added.

Academic activities halted

On social media, some members of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine were quoted saying that their faculty would stay within Istanbul University while the Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine would be joined to the new İbni Sina University, which will be set up after the split.

After these suggestions, all academic activities at the Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine were halted following an extraordinary meeting of the academic council.

The council issued a statement saying it is “unanimously against the bill in the parliament.”

“Medical science is taught and practised through various schools. They are destroying a tradition,” said Prof. Özgür Kasapçopur, a pediatrician.