Schools suspended after heavy snow in 39 Turkish provinces

ISTANBUL

Education was suspended in schools in 39 provinces across Turkey on Dec. 14 due to heavy snowfall. In Istanbul, where the year’s first snow began, the governor’s office has yet to make any announcement about a suspension. 

Governor’s offices in provinces across central, eastern and southeastern Anatolia, as well as in the Black Sea region, announced on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14 that they were suspending education after heavy snowfall hit large swathes of the country. 

Offices said they were taking measures in mobile teaching, including state-sponsored provision of transportation for schoolchildren due to reasons like lack of teachers or education facilities in locations where the children live.
For Istanbul, however, the governor’s office has yet to issue any decision.

While the suspensions in education are made for elementary, middle and high schools in most provinces, in the Central Anatolian province of Konya, Selçuk University on Dec. 13 announced that it had suspended classes due to heavy snow in the area. 

The university also said the suspension applies only to students, and academic personnel as well as administrative personnel were expected to continue their work. 

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines (THY) announced that it had cancelled 16 domestic flights and four international flights planned for Dec. 14, urging its passengers to monitor the latest updates on official websites or call centers before their flights.