Erdoğan said 'Turkey is an exemplary country'... A chain of exam scandals during the AKP era

The fact that 719 students achieved a perfect score in the High School Transition System (LGS) exam organized by the Ministry of National Education has brought allegations of irregularities to the agenda.

Although Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin categorically denied the allegations of irregularity and said, "We are explaining it as if we are explaining it to a simpleton," an investigation was launched into 29 people, and the Ministry's Head of Information Processing, Özgür Türk, was dismissed.

While the investigation and the dismissal at the Ministry of National Education strengthened the allegations of irregularity, AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "Our ministry shares data transparently. Exam security is our red line. Turkey is an exemplary country in this field."

However, allegations of leaks, theft, and coded cheating have surfaced in many exams throughout the AKP's tenure.  

According to a report by Deniz Güngör from Birgün, some of the irregularities in exams held during the AKP governments are as follows:

2007 – SALE OF QUESTIONS IN THE POLICE EXAM IN ADANA

It was determined that a staff member in charge of the police exam held in Adana sold the exam questions. Three people were sentenced to prison for "selling questions" and one person for "bribery." However, how the questions were obtained was never clarified.

2009 – FETÖ AND THE CANCELLED POLICE EXAM

It was alleged that police exam questions were given to students under the guise of "practice exams" in prep schools linked to FETÖ. In the examination conducted by ÖSYM, it was determined that the KPSS practice exam and the Police Vocational School questions were largely similar. Following this development, the exam was cancelled.

2010 – SUSPICIOUS HIGH SUCCESS IN KPSS

In the 2010 KPSS Educational Sciences session, it was revealed that 350 candidates answered 110 out of 120 questions correctly. It was alleged that 20 of these individuals had close relationships with each other. The Educational Sciences exam was cancelled that same year, and the General Culture and General Ability exams were cancelled in 2016.

2011 – "PASSWORD SCANDAL" IN YGS AND OTHER CASES

Allegations surfaced that "the correct answer could be reached through a coding method" in the YGS held on March 27. It was claimed that the correct answers could be reached when the numbers placed inside the options were sorted from smallest to largest. However, the prosecutor's office issued a decision of non-prosecution regarding the file.

In the Overseas Higher Education Diploma Equivalency Exam held the same year, it was determined that 75 out of 100 questions were the same as the exam held the previous year. ÖSYM cancelled the exam.

It was determined that in various exams held for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015, students linked to FETÖ were coded through their candidate and identification numbers, and were infiltrated into the TSK in this way.

2012 – ALLEGATIONS OF QUESTION LEAKS IN KPSS AND OTHER EXAMS

It drew attention that many candidates answered all questions correctly in the 2012 KPSS. It was alleged that exam questions were shared by some publishing houses before the exam. ÖSYM denied these allegations.

Serious allegations of irregularity also surfaced in the Judicial Judge and Prosecutor Candidate Exam held the same year. It was claimed that 75% of the questions were taken from the previous exam and were delivered to individuals linked to FETÖ in advance. The exam was cancelled, but the investigation was closed with a decision of non-prosecution.

A similar situation occurred in the Police Academy exam. It was alleged that 90 out of 100 questions were delivered to individuals linked to FETÖ in advance.

2014 – WERE KPSS QUESTIONS TAKEN FROM PREP BOOKS?

The CHP deputy of the time, Nur Serter, stated that the KPSS questions overlapped exactly with the questions in a prep book. However, ÖSYM announced that only one question was cancelled.

2022 – YEDİİKLİM SCANDAL AND THE DISMISSAL OF THE ÖSYM PRESIDENT

Allegations that questions were leaked in the KPSS session held on July 31, 2022, caused a major stir. It was revealed that many questions in the practice booklet of Yediiklim Publishing appeared exactly the same in the KPSS. While the publishing house described this as a "coincidence," ÖSYM denied the allegations. However, President Erdoğan dismissed ÖSYM President Halis Aygün and appointed Bayram Ali Ersoy in his place. After the new president took office, the exam was cancelled and retaken on September 17, 2022.

2025 – COMMON WRITTEN EXAM QUESTIONS IN ISTANBUL LEAKED TO SOCIAL MEDIA

The questions for the second common written exams of the first term of 2025, organized by the Ministry of National Education in high schools, were shared on social media in Istanbul before the exam. The Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education identified this situation in 6 schools and decided to retake the relevant exams.

"COINCIDENCES" HAPPENING ONE AFTER ANOTHER

After the dismissal of the Ministry of National Education's General Manager of Information Processing, Özgür Türk, CHP's Ali Mahir Başarır brought up the allegation that Türk's child had answered all questions correctly in an exam 3 years ago. Journalist Barış Pehlivan shared striking information about the Mahmut Celalettin Öktem Imam Hatip High School, which is at the center of the irregularity allegations. It was revealed that Celile Ökten, the granddaughter of the school's founder Celalettin Ökten, is an assistant to the Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin.