Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayors Serra Bucak and Doğan Hatun inaugurated the Akademi Sur Study Centre in Sur, where pupils preparing for secondary school and university can receive free, high-quality educational support. Speaking at the opening, Co-mayor Bucak stated that the academy should be seen as a democratic, fair and egalitarian institution.

Established within the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Department of Social Services to enable pupils preparing for secondary school and university to receive free education, the Akademi Sur Study Centre has been made available to students. The academy’s opening ceremony was attended by Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayors Serra Bucak and Doğan Hatun, Sur Municipality Co-mayors Fatma Gulan Önkol and Adnan Örhan, Metropolitan Municipal Council members, Metropolitan Municipality Chief Executive Emrullah Gördük, Deputy Chief Executive Zerin Türk and Emrah Erdal, heads of departments, representatives of non-governmental organisations and students benefiting from the high school.

After cutting the ribbon with the students, the co-mayors and their delegation formally opened the academy. Speaking here, Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayor Serra Bucak noted that the building in question already belonged to the municipality when they were elected, but that its interior had undergone renovation and its educational content had been revised so that it could once again serve an educational function.

‘250 of the 370 students are women’

Noting that opening the centre was a source of happiness for them, Co-mayor Bucak said: “At the same time, it is very important for us to be opening such a place in Sur. We have 370 students at our centre. Of these 370 young people, whose average age is 18, 250 are young women. We have always argued that women must be present everywhere and in every field: in education, in employment, in public life, in politics, at every stage of social life.”

‘As long as there are women in Sur, there will be life’

In her speech, Co-mayor Bucak also referred to the recent attack by a group in Sur on a house where three women live, saying: “We do not want this in this city. We do not want this in the ancient walled Sur district. We do not accept any way of life being pressured or threatened by another way of life or ideology. We advocate that our women friends should be independent, free and able to stand on their own feet. We are at the point where we say that as long as there are women sustaining their lives in Sur, there will be life in Sur.”

‘See it as a democratic, fair and egalitarian institution’

Calling on the women students attending Sur Academy to take ownership of the institution, Co-mayor Bucak continued: “Embrace this place with a perspective grounded in women’s freedom and the freedom of society. Embrace it with an equal and fair outlook. And see this place as a democratic, fair and egalitarian institution for all your friends. By organising with one another and with society, be in a place that always represents the equal existence of women and men. Our request, especially from our women friends but also from our male friends, is that they give voice to the fact that this place will move forward as a democratic institution and with a democratic understanding.”

Co-mayor Bucak concluded her speech by wishing success to all the young people who receive educational support at the centre and sit the practice examinations there.

Following the speeches, the co-mayors toured the four-storey building and were briefed by those responsible.

What kind of educational support does the Study Centre offer young people?

Operating under the Youth Education Branch Directorate of the Department of Social Services, and based on a principle of equal, high-quality and free education, the Academy Sur Study Centre has begun its educational activities.

A total of 370 students are studying at the centre, 250 of whom are women. Lessons at the institution, which primarily serves young people in need, are delivered by a broad and participatory teaching staff.

The centre, which operates in a four-storey building, is equipped with nine classrooms, study rooms, an IT suite and a book café for students to use. In addition, the roof floor of the building has been arranged as a terrace area where students can rest and socialise.