Ministry cancels over 400 student diplomas following audits on private schools
ANKARA
In a sweeping crackdown on irregularities in the country’s private education sector, Türkiye’s Education Ministry has annulled the diplomas of 403 students and canceled the grade advancement of another 398.
The decision follows extensive audits conducted throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, revealing serious violations including forged grades and fabricated attendance records.
The inspections, carried out by the Directorate General of Private Educational Institutions under the ministry, uncovered that numerous students enrolled in private high schools across the country had either not met the required criteria for enrollment or had not regularly attended classes.
In some cases, students who had never completed their final years of schooling were nevertheless granted diplomas. Others were found to have received grades and attendance approvals despite skipping exams and being largely absent.
The investigation also highlighted the misuse of equivalency documents — certificates used to validate foreign or alternative education backgrounds. A total of 120 students were found to have submitted unverifiable or ineligible documents at the time of enrollment, leading to the annulment of their diplomas.
Furthermore, 50 students were discovered to have graduated despite failing to meet attendance requirements; 101 students were granted diplomas based on falsified grades; and 132 students received diplomas without completing their senior year.
The ministry took action against institutions found complicit in the phenomenon of so-called “ghost classes” — a term referring to classes or schools that exist on paper but where no actual instruction takes place. These are often created for final-year students who, while technically enrolled in a formal education institution, instead attend full-time private courses to prepare for university exams.
Such practices are illegal if they circumvent the requirements of formal education, such as classroom instruction and attendance monitoring. Six private schools had their licenses revoked after it was determined they had set up ghost classes, failed to record absenteeism and did not conduct actual lessons.
