Minister downplays 'chaos' in education after students were placed in wrong schools

Turkey’s Minister of National Education Nabi Avcı plays down the worry of chaos amid reports that thousands of students were placed in schools against their will following the TEOG exam results Turkey’s education minister has sought to downplay the catastrophic ongoing situation in Turkey’s secondary education system, after a large number of students were controversially placed in incorrect high schools following the recent central exam. Much of the controversy surrounds the “imam-hatip” Islamic vocational high schools, with reports suggesting that 40,000 students, including non-Muslims, have been placed in such schools for the upcoming school year against the will of their families.

In response to the controversy, Education Minister Nabi Avcı has indirectly pointed to private schools as the formula to solve the problems that have emerged in the system.

“As of this week, there have been some troubles in quotas. There are understandable reasons for this situation because the transition to private schools hadn’t yet begun. That’s why the sufficient quota gaps in [public] schools hadn’t previously emerged. Since the transition to private schools began this week, new quotas are emerging in our public schools. According to the latest information I have received, this quota currently approaches 15,000 and will continue to grow next week,” said Avcı on Aug. 29.

He also said, however, that those who were unable to secure a place in one of the 15 choices that they made before entering the nationwide primary to secondary education exam (TEOG) were placed in other schools in line with their choices.

“Our parents shouldn’t rush. The...