A parliamentary commission on Sunday approved a bill seeking to increase the duration of compulsory education from eight years to 12 amidst a brawl that erupted between deputies of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) during talks on the bill.

The Education Commission has been holding talks on the proposed changes to the country's education system for nearly a week due to disagreement between the opposition and the government.

Tensions ran high during Sunday's commission meeting as well after deputies from the AK Party fill all of the seats in the meeting room and left no seats for the opposition deputies. Arriving at the meeting room, CHP deputies were angered after they could find no seats and the deputies started to brawl. Commission Chairman Nabi Avcı continued to read out the bill and began the voting session despite the brawl. The bill was approved by “yes” votes of the AK Party deputies.

The bill was submitted by AK Party parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Nurettin Canikli late last month.

According to the bill, the current eight years of compulsory education, which includes only a primary school education, will be lengthened by another four years of high school education. The compulsory 12 years of education will be divided into three levels: four years of primary school, four years of middle school and another four years devoted to high school education.

In its current form, primary school is an eight-year, uninterrupted basic education that includes a middle school education, and therefore the need for separate middle schools is eliminated. If the bill becomes law, middle schools will be re-established as a basic primary school education will be separated into two levels.

Cihan