A new "mother's university" program was launched at Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) in eastern Van province offering one-month classes on motherhood and family communication. The program curriculum includes credit courses on a number of subjects such as "cultural behavior education," "violence philosophy," "human rights," "child development," "family communication," "how to avoid stress" and "city and life."

Each academic year, 60 mothers can enroll in the program consisting of three different stages. Similar to its other versions around Turkey, the mother's university has been established to teach effective communication techniques, teaching social values and improve communication between family members. The program at YYÜ is a collaborative project with the support of the Tuşba District Municipality and the district national educational directorate.

Chancellor Peyami Battal said, "I got excited when I heard the project. The courses will make mothers' daily lives much easier." Speaking at the launch event, Van Governor İbrahim Tasyapan also said any initiative for mothers will return as contribution to the society, stressing that family and mothers compose the most important section of social life. Nurşahan Arvas, one of the program students, said that the courses will help them to better manage family issues and motherhood without stress. Disadvantaged mothers, who previously did not receive a university education, can also enroll in the program. With a focus on parenting, mothers improve their skills to better create a happy home environment.

The mother's university program is not a new initiative, though. A number of local universities offer courses on motherhood like Gazi University in Ankara and Hasan Kalyoncu University in Gaziantep. The courses are given by academic staff and students are given a certificate upon completion of all sessions.