Turkey's Education Ministry extends TÜGVA partnership to 2030

The Ministry of National Education (MEB) has renewed its protocol with the Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA) until 2030, allocating thousands of state schools to the foundation for "sportive, cultural, scientific and artistic" programmes. Despite a Danıştay ruling five years ago that cancelled a similar agreement, the renewed deal includes religious lessons – Quran, basic religious knowledge and Hadith – that the foundation plans to deliver to primary and middle‑school students. Teachers’ union leader Deniz Ezer warned that the extension "means continued intervention in the secular, scientific and public nature of the education system," while education specialist Kadir Toruş said the court decision was being ignored. Critics intend to file a lawsuit to annul the protocol, arguing it undermines the secular character of public education.