TRNC Minister of Education Denies Allegations of Pre-Election Hiring at Eastern Mediterranean University

TRNC Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu said that no requests had been made to open new positions and hire staff at Eastern Mediterranean University (DAÜ) in Famagusta ahead of the elections. According to him, not a single person had been hired at the university over the past three years.

The statement was made in response to the DAÜ-SEN university lecturers’ union. On the morning of September 18, the union linked the proposal to remove DAÜ Board of Trustees Chair Şemi Boru to his refusal to approve new positions and staff hiring before the elections, citing financial restrictions and regulations.

On September 17, the TRNC Council of Ministers proposed that President Tufan Erhürman dismiss Boru and board member Turan Büyükyılmaz from their positions, explaining the move by citing disruptions in their work and coordination. Anıl İmre and Hasan Esen were proposed to replace them for the remainder of their predecessors’ terms of office.

Çavuşoğlu stressed that hiring at the university is possible only within the department’s budget and the staffing criteria established by the protocol. The minister rejected allegations that DAÜ properties in Nicosia and Famagusta had been transferred to specific individuals or groups, saying that, on the contrary, his ministry was increasing income from university property and collecting overdue debts.

The minister called on the union to name specific individuals if such cases existed and to apologize otherwise. He added that the university should be discussed from the perspective of its institutional structure and financial sustainability, rather than political rhetoric.