Turkey's HÜDA PAR bills single‑gender classes in co‑educational schools

The HÜDA PAR party has submitted a draft law to the Turkish Grand National Assembly that would amend the Basic Law on National Education. The amendment would replace the term “obligations” with “needs” and add language allowing schools, or individual classes within schools, to be separated by gender at the request of parents or students. The proposal argues that compulsory co‑education infringes on human rights and that single‑gender settings can better suit individual abilities and preferences.

Psychologist Faruk Günaydın has voiced support for the bill, citing international research that links single‑gender schooling with higher academic performance in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea and the United States. He stresses the need to reassess the century‑old mixed‑education system in Turkey based on scientific evidence and comparative examples.

The bill now awaits parliamentary debate and a vote.