In years 2010 and 2012, when it was realized that the questions of the KPSS (Public Personnel Selection Examination) had been stolen, there were reactions from all parts of the society. However, then Prime Minister Erdoğan’s statement on it was that everything with the exam was ‘completely successful, clean, and flawless’. And, those who had gone out to the streets for demonstrating against it were dispersed by police using tear gas. Once the partnership between AKP and FETÖ began to deteriorate, especially after 17-25 December 2015, investigations about the claims of fraud in exams have been launched.

Flashback of AKP’s denials over ‘exam frauds’

SERBAY MANSUROĞLU
serbaymansur@birgun.net
@serbaymansur

One of the methods that Gülenists used for infiltrating into state institutions were the ‘exams.’ This infiltration, involving tens of thousands of people in all branches and departments of the state ranging from army, judiciary and police to education, has again been brought up after the July 15 coup attempt. Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar’s aide Levent Türkkan has confessed in his testimony that he had taken to placement exam for the Işıklar Military High School in 1989 and that ‘the questions for that exam was given’ to him at midnight before the exam date. With this confession, questions over the claims regarding fraud in several exams have again been posed, and, now all exams given by ÖSYM (Student Selection and Placement Center) are looked upon with suspicion.

Pandora’s box has been opened

The initial major scandal was with regards to the claims that the questions for the KPSS in 2010 had been leaked out. Experts examining the computer files of the ÖSYM staff in scope of the investigations on fraud claims of 2010 had concluded that there was indeed a fraud. However, there was no further statement as to the actual source of it.

Later, in 2012, same speculations had surfaced again with the allegations that there were again leakages of the KPSS questions at some of the educational institutions (Dershane, in Turkish) in the Southeastern region of Turkey.

Erdoğan had defended it at that time

Then Prime Minister Erdoğan had denied the claims that the questions were leaked out by saying: “KPSS has been held completely successfully, in a clean and flawless way. The sham of those who are trying to cast doubt on this exam has been disclosed immediately.” When the government and the pro-government media had put the blame on KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) at that time, the Chair of BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) then Selahattin Demirtaş shared a message on his tweeter account saying: “It looks like since Cemaat (the Gülen organization) has been caught up on KPSS vileness once again, the ball has been thrown at KCK.”

Reactions were suppressed violently

During that time, there were several protests in front of many educational institutions – especially FEM Dershaneleri- that were known with their affinity with Fethullah Gülen. People demonstrating against the frauds were attacked by the police in violence and with tear gas. The partnership of AKP-FETÖ at that time was used as a barricade against the leakage claims and protests about them.

Partnership finished; investigations started

When the partnership of the two was shattered after the 17-25 December crisis related to tapes released about AKP’s involvement in corruption, investigations on the ‘exam frauds’ were started; and, through these investigations, more scandalous details began to be revealed. In addition to the revelation of leakages of questions for the KPSS and YGS (Higher Education Entrance Exam), it had also been found out that ALES (exam equivalent of GRE-GMAT in Turkey) questions in the past years had also been stolen. As part of the investigations, the Mayor Candidacy Exam of 2006; Judges and Prosecutors Selection Exam of 2007; Deputy Commissioner of Audits Exam of 2007; and Constitutional Court Deputy Judicial Clerk Exam of 2011 have been put under examination, along with several other exams given for the public offices positions. This year in May, 82 people got arrested within the scope of investigations on KPSS fraud.

‘We must find a mirror and get in front of it’

Anadolu Eduction Union President Cansel Güven made statements about the topic: “For decades, our smartest and brightest students have been placed, blatantly, in dormitories, schools, and education centers operated by a dull and blinding ideology; and, the exams were also tackled through cheating, leading this structure to infiltrate into all institutions of the state. We know that those officials, who had always been content with the situation when we outcried that there were ‘thieves’, are still holding their positions today. What has been stolen was not just exam questions and public office positions, but also our future and our safety. Today, if we are really sincere and determined about knocking down a coup attempt, we must find a mirror and get in front of it. We are not going to prefer another community in place of Cemaat (Gülen community); another commmision in place of this or that; that union instead of this, etc. The state must already consent with staff placement based on ‘merit and competance’; and, it must come in terms with its own officers who had appointed those that were able to place and remove people from positions.”

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HAZİRAN: ‘Those who stole together must be tried together’

Statement of Yasemin Şenkal from United Haziran Movement’s Education Commission: “The Fethullah Gülen community, which had also got organized within the education field, built up a widespread network of primary, middle, and high schools, as well as universities. In this spread of Gülen schools, the role of center-right administrations prior to AKP and liberal policies were of course at a quite considerable level. The placement of Gülenists in all offices of the state throughout the 14 years of AKP administration is something that cannot be defined with the term ‘infiltration’. The Gülen organization, which has only recently been called a ‘terrorist organization’, had directly been supported by AKP and even praised as a ‘movement of service’ until about a few years back. The confessions of a military officer about having access to the questions of the military high school exam of 1989, which we have just heard after July 15, can only been defined with the verb of ‘stealing’, which is an obvious disposition of the liberal-center right. Those responsible for everything and the stealing of the future of millions of youngsters are not only the Gülenists. AKP and FETÖ have been carrying out the operation of getting a hold of the state completely, starting with the education field, in partnership. Those who stole together must be tried together.”