[Minister of Education and Culture – Nazim Çavuşoğlu]Following the accusation made by General Secretary of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), Burak Maviş that the government had spent the earthquake fund* elsewhere, Education Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu responded by denying the claim.Speaking on the “Sabah Postasi” programme hosted by Gökhan Altıner on Kibris Postasi TV, he said that claims that reinforcement work in schools had stopped due to the Ministry of Finance directing payments from the earthquake fund to other areas were untrue. Çavuşoğlu stated that they were continuing the work of the Earthquake Committee meticulously as a ministry, and said, “There is no pause in the work carried out by the Committee. There were some delays due to periodic correspondence procedures at the Ministry of Finance, but this does not mean that the work has stopped. The disruptions in payments may have slowed down the process in some schools, but the necessary work continues“.
Referring to the action taken by KTÖS at Şht. Yalçın Primary School, whose reinforcement work was stopped due to the Ministry of Finance not making payments, Çavuşoğlu stated that a meeting was held the day before the action and that the crisis was resolved at this meeting. Çavuşoğlu said, “We should not mislead society; the problem was resolved after the agenda was set“.
*The earthquake fund in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was set up in response to the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023. The fund was established to support relief and rebuilding efforts for affected areas and to prepare for potential earthquakes in the TRNC region, given the region’s seismic activity.
Money for the earthquake fund is typically collected through several channels:
Donations: The government encourages both individuals and businesses to donate directly to the earthquake relief fund.
Salary Contributions: In some cases, public sector employees in the TRNC may contribute a portion of their salaries to the fund, either through voluntary or mandatory contributions, as directed by the government or specific campaigns.
Special Levies: The TRNC government has introduced special levies or taxes specifically earmarked for the earthquake fund, which are collected from citizens and businesses.
Public Events and Charity Drives: Fundraising events, charity auctions, and other public activities also contribute to the fund. [LGC News Ed.]
