Teachers across İstanbul staged a one-day strike and education unions called for the resignation of Education Minister Yusuf Tekin on Tuesday after a 17-year-old student fatally stabbed a teacher at a high school in the city’s Çekmeköy district, intensifying concerns over rising violence in Turkey’s schools.
The attack took place at the Taşdelen Borsa İstanbul Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, where a 17-year-old, 11th-grade student identified only by the initials F.S.B. allegedly brought a knife to campus and attacked biology teacher Fatma Nur Çelik, another teacher identified as Z.A. and 15-year-old student S.K. Authorities have not disclosed a motive.
Police and emergency medical teams were dispatched to the school following calls for help. The victims were taken to a hospital, where Çelik died despite medical intervention.
The other teacher and student were being treated and had not sustained life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The suspect was detained at the scene.
The killing attracted particular attention because Çelik had reportedly raised concerns about school safety after a separate stabbing incident at the same school last year.
According to journalist Rojda Altıntaş, she had told colleagues at the time, “We have no safety; we could be next,” and had submitted the names of three students she considered high-risk to the school’s disciplinary board.
One of those students was allegedly F.S.B., the suspect in Monday’s attack.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said in a statement that the Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had launched an investigation and that the process was being conducted “meticulously and in all aspects,” adding that those responsible would be held accountable.
The Education Ministry said it had appointed an inspector and opened an administrative inquiry. It also said guidance and psychological support services were being provided to students at the school.
Unions protest, call for resignation
Several education unions in İstanbul, including the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim-Sen) and the Turkish Education Union (Türk Eğitim-Sen), announced a one-day strike in protest of the killing and what they described as growing violence in schools.
The Eğitim-Sen members gathered in Beyazıt Square and attempted to march to the İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Education, but police blocked the route. Demonstrators later staged a sit-in at Mehmet Akif Ersoy Park.
Calling for Tekin’s resignation, protesters chanted slogans including “Teachers are angry, Yusuf Tekin must go” and “We will not surrender to violence.”
In a statement read out during the protest, Hüseyin Özev, an İstanbul branch chair of Eğitim-Sen, urged the ministry to adopt an immediate, comprehensive and evidence-based school safety policy.
He called for stronger guidance and psychological counseling services, the assignment of adequate specialist staff to every school and early intervention programs for at-risk students.
Publication ban draws criticism
Meanwhile, the İstanbul Anadolu 3rd Criminal Court of Peace imposed a publication ban at prosecutors’ request, citing the risk that coverage of the incident could “create public outrage” and disrupt public order.
Human rights lawyer Eren Keskin criticized the decision on X, writing, “This publication ban serves to conceal violence and virtually ‘legitimize’ it. Prevent the violence, not the news.”
Bu yayın yasağı, şiddetin gizlenmesi ve adeta ‘meşrulaştırılmasına’ hizmet eder. Haberi değil şiddeti önleyin !! https://t.co/elK9uYWhX6
— Eren Keskin (@KeskinEren1) March 3, 2026
The Human Rights Association’s İstanbul branch also described the ban as unacceptable and said school violence cannot be addressed solely through physical security measures such as metal gates or barbed wire but requires broader social and pedagogical policies.
Concerns over youth violence
The killing comes amid growing alarm over youth-related violent crime in Turkey.
In May 2024 thousands of teachers staged protests after İstanbul high school principal İbrahim Oktugan was shot dead by a former student, prompting nationwide calls for legislation aimed at preventing violence in schools.
Earlier this year, 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan was fatally stabbed in İstanbul during a dispute between teenagers. Last year, the stabbing death of 15-year-old Turkish-Italian teenager Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi in broad daylight in an İstanbul marketplace sparked widespread outrage and renewed debate over juvenile justice laws.
Official figures show that the number of minors coming into contact with law enforcement as suspects has risen by more than 50 percent over the past nine years, with offenses linked to organized crime, including murder and drug trafficking, among the fastest-growing categories.
Rights advocates say many teenagers lured into criminal networks come from disadvantaged neighborhoods, have weak ties to education or employment and are vulnerable to gangs that promise money, protection or online notoriety.
Lawmakers and relevant ministries have begun discussing the creation of an “early warning system” aimed at identifying children at risk of being drawn into crime and strengthening school-based social support, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
As the investigation into Monday’s attack continues, educators say the killing reflects what they describe as a deepening crisis of safety in Turkey’s education system.