After the Van (Wan) Branch of the Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim Sen) determined that male and female students were educated in separate classrooms at Martyr Murat Demirci Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, Van Merkez Imam Hatip High School and 15 July Martyrs Anatolian Imam Hatip High School in the city, applied to the Provincial Directorate of National Education to requested information about this separation. The Directorate stated: "In the schools affiliated to our directorate in our province, education is carried out in accordance with the provision in the 15th article of the Basic Law of National Education which says that 'Girl and boy mixed education is essential in schools. However, some schools can only be reserved for girls or boys, depending on the type of education, opportunities and necessities'."

Eğitim Sen Van Branch chair, Murat Atabay, told Mesopotamia Agency (MA) that they learned that male and female students receive separate education in 3 schools from their members and the research they carried out. Noting that they wrote a petition to the Provincial Directorate of National Eğitim to protest this separation, Atabay said that they demanded the end of the practice. Atabay continued: "We have informed the Directorate that if these schools do not switch to mixed education, we will carry out the necessary legal proceedings against those responsible. One of the basic principles of Eğitim Sen is the principle of secularism and mixed education must be observed in line with this principle. These schools are mixed schools and classes should be mixed. This practice should be terminated as soon as possible."

The Provincial Directorate of National Education and related schools, on the other hand, told MA that they could not provide information.