PM criticizes court's ruling on university entrance exams

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday criticized the top court’s ruling that nixed the Higher Education Board, or YÖK’s, decision to change the current coefficient system applied to university entrance exams in favor of the graduates of vocational high schools, including religious imam hatip schools.

“This decision shows the inner contradiction of the court,” he said in Istanbul, answering the questions of journalists.

The ruling, made public Wednesday, was made unanimously by the Danıştay, the Council of State, which is the country’s administrative court, on the grounds that YÖK’s decision was in violation of the law.

It is difficult to explain how the Danıştay, which initially showed YÖK as the relevant authority, has made a decision that reverses its initial stance, private TV CNN Türk quoted the prime minister as saying. “This is a totally ideological decision. I personally have difficulty understanding it. This is not acceptable,” he said. “It is an organ of the judiciary and it has made its decision. But I believe and I presume that YÖK will object to it,” he added. YÖK has the right to appeal the court’s ruling. “As the government, we will evaluate what we can do vis a vis the judiciary in order to defend the rights of the sufferers,” said Erdoğan.

In July, YÖK announced that it decided to apply a 0.15 coefficient for all students who take the university entrance exam in a move to end the unbalance between students from vocational and normal high schools. The move was seen as highly political. YÖK and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, himself a graduate of a religious vocational high school, defended the move, saying the system aimed to secure equality of opportunity.

Erdoğan was also critical of the one-day strike by public servants. Thousands of public servants from different sectors including education, health, transportation, energy, mining and communications went on strike Wednesday, despite a stern warning from the prime minister earlier this week. “The relevant authorities will apply the appropriate sanctions,” said Erdoğan on Friday while answering a question on the strike, adding that one cannot let the law be violated in the country. “Everyone should seek their rights through law,” he said.

Erdoğan answered the questions of the press after having his bayram prayer in Istanbul. He was accompanied by Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş.