DAÜ-SEN: “Main Obstacle To Four-Year Protocol Is The Political Mindset That Signed It”

The protocol, signed by the government, the Board of Trustees, the rectorate and trade unions, was introduced with the aim of placing Eastern Mediterranean University (DAÜ) on a more sustainable footing.

In its statement, DAÜ-SEN said that the most significant barrier to the protocol’s implementation is now the very political approach that originally endorsed it.

The union claimed there is an open conflict between the government and the administration it appointed, recalling that in November 2025 Education Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu had publicly targeted then-Board of Trustees Chair Erdal Özcenk and board members, blaming them for financial shortcomings. It also noted that the subsequent change in management was presented to the public as a shift from “a failed administration” to a “solution-oriented new team.”

However, DAÜ-SEN said that narrative had quickly lost validity.

The statement referred to comments made by current Board of Trustees Chair Şemi Bora to university staff, which it described as critical of the government’s governance approach. Bora was cited as highlighting structural problems created by the current management style and stating that a solution would not be possible unless this approach changes.

DAÜ-SEN said the situation clearly shows that the government’s own appointed leadership is now pointing to the same systemic problems it was brought in to solve.

The union added that the government must either take into account the warnings of its own appointed board chair and act in line with the protocol and institutional merit, or choose to remove those who speak out about the problems.

It stressed that the future of the university cannot be secured through political loyalty, power-sharing arrangements, election calculations or party-based appointments. Instead, it argued that DAÜ can only recover through a merit-based, democratic, autonomous and law-based governance structure.

DAÜ-SEN concluded by stating that it will continue to defend principles over individuals, support the protocol, and protect the interests of the university.