Report on universities in Turkey reveals disastrous social conditions of students

As universities across Turkey open amid the escalating war in the Middle East and Ukraine and increasing attacks on the social conditions of the working class, a report published by Eğitim-Sen, an education union, shows the disastrous conditions of education students. live and live.

The report, which aims to reveal the financial and psychological problems of university students, also reflects young people’s concerns about the future.

The cover of the Eğitim-Sen report (Photo: egitimsenankara5.org)

According to the report published on October 8, prepared with the participation of 279 students, 48.6 percent of students continue their education entirely with their family’s financial resources. Only 36.7 percent say they have access to grants or student loans. Moreover, student loans pose a huge burden on young people, requiring them to pay back for years.

Many students are forced to work due to inadequate or non-existent grants and income. According to the report, about 15 percent of students continue their education by working. A much larger number of students want to work for a living, but cannot find a job. According to the report, 36.7 percent of students complain about the lack of decent part-time jobs.

One of the most important issues college students face is housing. Only a third of respondents have access to public dormitories. However, the actual use of public dormitories is much lower. Of the seven million college students, only about 880,000 live in public dormitories. Under conditions of high inflation and exorbitant rents, this leads to students paying high rents for private dormitories or apartments.

While 45.7 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the conditions in their dormitory or apartment, 28.3 percent said the dormitory did not provide a healthy environment.

In addition to housing, more than half of students indicate that their diet is not healthy. Seventy-one percent believe that their monthly income does not allow them to eat an adequate and balanced diet. The number of students who say they skip meals due to lack of time or financial reasons is almost 70 percent. 56 percent said that “there are some days when they don’t eat.”

The report reflects the consequences of decades of attacks by the ruling class on the social conditions of the working class.

The idea that college graduates will find well-paying jobs has faded from the consciousness of younger generations. Students not only cannot find a job based on their skills while still in college, but they begin to worry about unemployment even before they graduate. 81.2 percent of students are concerned about their future. The percentage of people who fear that they will not be able to find a job in the future is 73.3 percent.

About half of students are unable to attend cultural activities such as theater and film due to financial constraints. Students are not given opportunities to socialize, both for financial reasons and lack of time.

Social wealth is created by the working class. These resources, which should go to social services such as education, healthcare and basic infrastructure, are diverted to banks and corporations through war industries, bailouts, subsidies and tax amnesties. Basic rights such as education and health care are subordinated to capitalist profit and wealth accumulation, while social spending is cut.

With the transformation of education into a major profit area in recent decades, the number of private universities in Turkey has increased dramatically (from 20 in 1999 to 78 in 2024), while the quality of scientific and vocational education in the growing number of public universities has dramatically increased (from 20 in 1999 to 78 in 2024). universities has decreased.

The youth are not helpless in the face of all these destructive policies and problems. However, they must realize that social rights, including free and decent education, healthcare, housing, food and access to cultural activities, cannot be fulfilled within the current economic and social order. The capitalist system confronts humanity with major problems such as war, genocide, the rise of fascism, enormous social inequality and climate change. Therefore, the issues affecting today’s youth cannot be separated from the broader global problems facing the working class.

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the student and youth movement of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), fights to orient students and young people towards the working class, the only social force that can put an end to ending capitalist exploitation and war and building a global society based on human needs, socialism. To this end, we are fighting to build a massive anti-war movement internationally.

The IYSSE in Turkey sets out the following requirements for the urgent social problems of university students:

Nationalization of all universities and educational institutions and free education.
Providing free scholarships to all students to enable them to live a dignified life and canceling their student debt.
Build decent and earthquake-proof public dormitories and free housing.
Free, healthy and nutritious meals in colleges and dorms.
Free public transport.
Free access to cultural activities.
Resources are available! The resources directed to militarism and business should be used for the needs of students and society as a whole.
Put an end to the formation of universities as R&D departments and labor depots for companies.
No place for falsification of history, militaristic and chauvinistic-nationalist propaganda in universities! Scientific and mother tongue education.
Abolish institutions such as the Council for Higher Education, established by the military junta after the 1980 coup, which prevent the democratic functioning of universities.
End the presence of private security units and police in universities, remove obstacles to political activity and reinstate all academics suspended for their political views.
Job security for all students after graduation. The right of young people to work cannot be subordinated to capitalist profit and capital accumulation. New employment opportunities must be created, including reducing working hours in every workplace.

Realizing these urgent demands is only possible through a fundamental social transformation, which requires a frontal attack on the power and wealth of the ruling class. This can only be achieved by mobilizing the working class on the basis of a socialist program. The students must join this fight.

The youth is ready to fight. Last year, students and academics around the world organized mass demonstrations on campuses and in the streets against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Once again this year, universities opened with demonstrations of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

However, moral appeals to the ruling classes, capitalist governments and international institutions have failed. A new strategy is needed.

The fundamental problems the students face stem from the same capitalist system that produces genocide and war. Students must fight for their future. The way forward is to turn to the international working class to fight against capitalism and imperialist war. We call on all students who agree with this perspective to contact us and join the fight for socialism.

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