Erdoğan to decide on reopening of Halki Theological School

Turkish Minister of Education Yusuf Tekin has stated that the decision to reopen the Halki Theological School rests with the country’s political leadership, specifically President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. While the Ministry of Education has completed the necessary preparations, Tekin emphasized that the matter is a high-level foreign policy issue rather than a purely educational one.

The reopening of the school has been a long-standing priority for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Recent institutional contact has been established between a committee appointed by the Phanar and the Turkish Ministry of Education. One potential scenario being considered is the school operating as a postgraduate department to bypass certain bureaucratic obstacles associated with full university status. Tekin noted that the state will make the final decision based on whether the move serves Turkey’s national interests and foreign policy objectives.