19.06.2026 13:10
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi sent a critical instruction to the governors of 81 provinces regarding the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) to be held this weekend. To avoid disrupting the concentration of students taking the exam and to prevent traffic congestion, no giant screens will be allowed in squares for the Turkey-Paraguay national match. Following this decision, many provinces and metropolitan municipalities have successively canceled the planned public viewing events for the Turkey-Paraguay match.
As millions of students across Turkey will sweat for their university dreams in the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS), the excitement coincides with the Turkish National Football Team's 2026 FIFA World Cup challenge on the same weekend, prompting the Ministry of Interior to take action.
Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi sent a special circular to the governorships of 81 provinces to ensure students are not negatively affected before and during the YKS marathon to be held on June 20-21, 2026. According to the decision; to prevent noise pollution and possible traffic congestion, collective match-watching events and large screen setups in streets, parks, or city squares will not be permitted.
CANCELLATION DECISIONS POUR IN FROM MUNICIPALITIES
Following this clear instruction from Minister Çiftçi to the governorships, local administrations have begun canceling open-air events they had planned for the critical group match of the Turkish National Football Team against Paraguay.
To ensure students can have a quiet and peaceful night before the exam, municipalities in Izmir, Samsun, Denizli, and Uşak, making consecutive official statements, announced that they have completely canceled the large screen broadcasts in city squares.
EXTENSIVE SECURITY MEASURES TAKEN FOR THE EXAM
Minister of Interior Çiftçi also shared striking data regarding exam security to be implemented over the weekend, in addition to the large screen ban. Emphasizing that all measures related to security, traffic, and noise around exam buildings and their surroundings will be taken at the highest level, Minister Çiftçi summarized the nationwide preparations with the following figures:
- Number of Exam Candidates: 2,425,560
- Number of Schools Hosting the Exam: 11,883
- Number of Assigned Personnel: 44,886
- Number of Teams in the Field: 6,907
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
The YKS sessions organized by the Measurement, Selection, and Placement Center (ÖSYM) coincided with the same days as an important match of the Turkish National Football Team within the scope of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Since the beginning of the tournament, great excitement had been experienced in many provinces with the participation of thousands of citizens via large screens set up by local administrations. However, the Ministry of Interior decided to impose restrictions on events for this weekend, citing that the excitement and noise that could occur before the exam, held on Saturday and Sunday, would disrupt students' motivation, sleep patterns, and concentration.