Erdoğan abandons plan to close Bilgi University after protests

Written by journalist Danylo Aleksandrov

On Sunday, the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan canceled the plan to close the private Bilgi University, after students and workers of the institution protested. This became known from a publication in the official newspaper.

The decree from Erdoğan appeared on Sunday, repealing the decision to close the private Bilgi University, which happened on Friday. Officially the closure was based on a law that allowed this if the education level provided by the institution is insufficient. This was rejected by both the university’s staff and the students. Hundreds of people took to the space near the main campus of the university to protest the decision. Some of the protesters intend to continue their action until Bilgi University officially opens.

Another controversy over the situation is caused by the fact that the institution’s closure happens 8 months after its owner was arrested on charges of money laundering and alleged fraud. The investigation claims that principals who are part of Can Holding formed an organization concerned with evading taxes and laundering money. As a result, more than a 100 companies belonging to Can Holding, including Bilgi University, television channels and others were seized by the state.

Bilgi University is a private educational facility founded in 1996. It the fourth private university in Türkiye. Since 2006 it is part of a Laureate International Universities network based in USA. Bilgi University was acquired by Can Holding in 2019. It is estimated that around 20,000 students, both Turkish and international, study there.