NICOSIA, North -- Teachers in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus launched a strike Tuesday in protest over what they describe as efforts to impose Islamic headscarves on female students.

The walkout followed the arrival of two students wearing headscarves at schools in Trikomo and Trachonas. The incident reignited tensions surrounding a controversial change to the school dress code earlier this year, which had already sparked prolonged demonstrations and unrest.

Selma Eylem, president of the secondary education teachers' union, said educators are protesting what they view as coercion. "There is a clear attempt to force girls to wear the headscarf," she said. "We are striking to oppose this imposition."

The dispute reflects broader concerns among secular educators in the north, who fear increasing religious influence in public education. The headscarf issue has become a flashpoint in the region's ongoing debate over identity, autonomy, and cultural policy.