Students, parents left in dark as Turkey scraps school entrance exam
The Turkish government has suddenly moved to abolish a grueling standardized high school entrance exam without offering any plan to replace it.
The demise of a grueling entrance exam might normally be cause for students to celebrate. But a sudden decision by the Turkish government this week to abolish the standardized test for high school admission has roused concerns children will be sent to religious institutions against their parents’ wishes.
Turkey will no longer implement the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education (TEOG) examination because it treats students like “racehorses,” Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz said on Sept. 19, just one day into the new school year.
The announcement followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s surprise remarks that he wanted the TEOG gone. The rapid response by the Education Ministry underscores the sway Turkey’s leader holds over the minutia of domestic policy. Erdogan later went further, signaling that the university entrance exam may also be abolished.
Yilmaz did not offer an alternative plan, urging parents to “trust us" and saying, "Our aim is to carry Turkey into the 21st century.”
