National Assembly in January: Youth Issues Factsheet
This information note summarizes the prominent themes, discussions, and key data related to youth in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) for the month of January, based on the officially published parliamentary transcripts. During January, youth-related topics were discussed a total of 34 times in Parliament. A point of particular importance in this note is that the vulnerability of young people to crime became more prominent in January, influenced by the broader public agenda on child deaths in Türkiye and peer bullying. This issue was discussed together with the problems of drug use and gambling among youth. Another issue raised during the month was young people’s inability to continue their university education. MPs linked this problem to poverty, insufficient KYK scholarships/loans, the lack of dormitory capacity, and the broader housing crisis.
Key Themes
KYK Scholarships/Loans and Dormitory Insufficiency: Opposition MPs raised the insufficiency of KYK scholarships/loans and dormitory capacity 5 times. It was stated that the KYK scholarships and loans provided to young people in 2026 do not provide sufficient purchasing power for youth struggling with poverty. It was also emphasized that the capacity of KYK dormitories is insufficient to meet student demand. In addition, the housing problem faced by young people was separately raised 2 times (Future Party and DEM Party). By party:
- CHP: 3 times
- Future (Gelecek) Party: 1 time
- İYİ Party: 1 time
Youth Vulnerability to Crime: Opposition MPs stated that young people have become easy targets for criminal gangs due to economic poverty. The vulnerability of youth to crime was mentioned 3 times in the TBMM (CHP, DEM Party, and İYİ Party). This vulnerability was also linked to the problems of drug use and gambling, which were mentioned 4 times. By party:
- CHP: 2 times
- AKP: 1 time
- Felicity (Saadet) Party: 1 time
Autonomy and Quality of Academia: The issue of whether academia in Türkiye is autonomous was brought to the parliamentary agenda, particularly in relation to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). DEM Party MPs from the opposition stated 3 times that academic autonomy has been lost and that this situation negatively affects the quality of education. An AKP MP responded once by emphasizing the quality of education.
In addition, the lack of merit in appointments and interview processes and the problems related to internships and apprenticeships were each raised 2 times in the TBMM General Assembly. Student amnesty, problems related to diploma equivalence processes, NEET youth, and youth suicides were each mentioned once.
Notable Data
Youth-related topics were brought up 34 times in the Turkish Grand National Assembly during the month of January. A total of 23 different MPs spoke on this issue. By party; 10 CHP MPs, 4 DEM Party MPs, and 3 İYİ Party MPs spoke in the context of youth. In addition; 2 MPs each from the Felicity Party, the Future Party, and the AK Party also addressed youth-related issues.
Conclusion
In January, the main focus of discussions on youth in the Turkish Grand National Assembly was the inability of students to continue their education due to economic reasons and housing problems, as well as the vulnerability of young people to crime. As Arayüz Campaign, we will examine the issues raised and new processes in terms of their impact on young people in our future work.