YÖK, Türkiye’s higher education regulatory council, asked universities to address the goal of a “Terror-Free Türkiye” put forward by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the opening ceremonies and first classes of the 2026-2027 academic year.
In a letter signed by YÖK President Erol Özvar, universities were asked to examine the issue from social, economic, legal, political, cultural and security perspectives, and to organize academic studies, panels, conferences and workshops.
Why it matters
YÖK’s letter constitutes guidance defining the framework within which a political objective will be brought onto universities’ institutional agendas. The request for the issue to be addressed with contributions from different disciplines envisages that the discussion will be conducted not only along security lines, but also in legal, economic, social and cultural contexts. For this reason, the decision goes beyond being a topic limited to opening ceremonies and also concerns the content of academic activities at universities. The letter does not explicitly state which courses, panel topics or study areas universities should use to give concrete form to this framework. This leaves open questions about how implementation will take shape at different institutions and which methods will be used to address the issue within academic discussion.