Turkish Cyprus approves school headscarf regulation

NICOSIA

Authorities in Turkish Cyprus have enacted a new regulation permitting the wearing of headscarves in high schools and opening the door to their use in middle schools, following weeks of nationwide debate and protests.

The headscarf controversy first erupted last month when a middle school student sought to attend classes wearing headscarves in the capital Nicosia.

School administration, however, denied her entry, citing uniform regulations.

In response, the Council of Ministers amended the disciplinary code governing school attire, allowing a head covering in the form of a bandana worn over a bonnet.

This decision triggered vehement backlash from teachers’ unions and left-wing opposition parties.

The Council of Ministers subsequently rescinded the contentious regulation and established a special committee to address the issue — a body that included representatives from opposition parties and education unions. However, both groups refused to participate.

Late on April 8, the council ratified a revised version of the regulation, which had passed through the special committee.

Under the new provisions, headscarves are now fully permitted in high schools, while discretion over their use in middle schools has been delegated to individual school administrations.

Students may wear headscarves as long as they do not obscure the school uniform or extend beyond the collar line, in order to preserve the visual integrity of standardized dress codes.

As the regulation came into force through publication in the Official Gazette, a large-scale protest march took place in Nicosia.

The demonstration, attended by approximately 13,000 people, included the leaders of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and several other leftist factions.

Protesters contended that secularism in Northern Cyprus was “under existential threat.”

In a statement made last week, President Ersin Tatar characterized the wearing of headscarves in secondary education as a matter of personal choice, emphasizing that no student should be marginalized on the basis of their attire.