Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has revoked his decree to shut down Istanbul's private Bilgi University following three days of mass student protests. The initial order to cease operations was signed on May 21, while the reversal was adopted on May 24. Both documents were published in the official government gazette Resmi Gazete.
The closure was officially justified under Article 11 of the country's higher education law, which regulates the activities of the Interuniversity Council. Media reports noted that the law also allows for the closure of a private university if the 'level of education and training is insufficient.' Students were to be transferred to the state-run Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Additionally, the presidential decree stated that Bilgi University's founding foundation had been placed under external management.
The decision to reverse the closure came after three days of widespread protests by students and some faculty members. On May 24, a rally of about a thousand people took place on campus. Dozens of students occupied the university building, from which they were removed by police. Following the news of the closure, students also stayed overnight at the university to express their dissent.
The closure attempt was linked to an ongoing investigation into fraud and tax evasion against Istanbul-based Can Holding, a major conglomerate controlling over 120 companies, including large television channels. Can Holding had been sponsoring the university since 2019. Currently, the holding's companies are under state control.
Founded in 1996, Bilgi University enrolls over 20,000 students across eight faculties offering more than 150 programs. The university also participates in the EU's Erasmus student exchange program.
The decision sparked sharp criticism on social media, with users pointing out that closing the university just before the end of the academic year would negatively affect prospective students, that Bilgi students could not physically fit into Mimar Sinan University, and that the two institutions have different academic orientations, leaving thousands of students and faculty in uncertainty.
This is not the first such controversy in Turkey. In June 2020, Erdogan ordered the closure of Istanbul Şehir University, a private institution linked to former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who later founded the opposition Future Party. That closure was attributed to financial difficulties, and students were transferred to state-run Marmara University, which also took over the campus.
Source: www.gazeta.uz