Education body administers retake of enterance exam for 8 students

Turkish education authorities have organized a repeat session of Türkiye's university entrance exam for eight students in the central province of Sivas, marking a historic first for the country.

The decision followed an incident where a candidate experienced an epileptic seizure during the Basic Proficiency Exam, the initial session of the Higher Education Institutions Examination, on June 8.

During the incident, several students helped the candidate who was experiencing a seizure, which led to a loss of crucial exam time. Despite the Turkish Student Selection and Placement Center's (the body responsible for holding the exam) regulations allowing the remaining time to be added back to the students' total, the 15-second addition did not suffice for those who had helped.

In response, the center offered a choice between a retake of the exam or additional points. The affected candidates and their parents chose to take the repeat exam.

On the day of the rescheduled exam, stringent security measures were taken. Police conducted body searches, and only verified candidates with proper identification and exam documents were allowed entry.

The eight students were closely supervised by a team comprising 12 officials, including a supervisor, assistants, managers, invigilators and police officers.

The exam took place under conditions replicating the original as closely as possible, while parents waited outside the exam venue.

"A student had a medical emergency during the [initial] exam. There was a loss of 30-40 minutes in the turmoil," said Ahmet Yıldırım, whose child participated in the rescheduled exam. "The Student Selection and Placement Center prevented the victimization of the students with its decision."