Additional quotas to be opened for quake-hit students: Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

The results of the high school admission exam have revealed that 562 students, including some quake survivors, have received a perfect score, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announcing that two additional quotas will be opened for quake-affected students in each class of high schools.

Erdoğan made a statement on his social media account, wishing that the results of the exam be in favor of all students.

He also emphasized that during the process in which students will be making an important decision on their choice of high school, they have decided to implement a new arrangement to eliminate the grievances of students affected by the deadly February quakes in the country’s south.

“We will open two additional quotas for each branch in schools with exams all over Türkiye during this preference period only for our students enrolled in the 8th grades of schools in Adıyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya provinces and Nurdağı and İslahiye districts of Gaziantep province,” he said.

The Education Ministry announced the results of the high school entry exams held on June 4. According to the results, 562 students received a perfect score of 500 by answering all questions correctly this year.

The exam was attended by 1,030,195 students. Students are required to submit applications with their school of choice between July 3 and 29, and the results will be announced on July 24.

Speaking to local media, Buğlem Taştan, a student from the eastern province of Elazığ who was caught in the earthquake during the preparation process, stated that people around her did not expect her to score full points in the exam, except for a few of her teachers.

“I did not have a dream school, I only wanted to go to a high school in Istanbul, but Galatasaray High School was my favorite. However, the earthquake changed everything. I gave up on this dream because of the possible Istanbul earthquake. After talking to my teachers, I set my preference for Ankara Science High School,” she said.

In the quake-hit İskenderun district, quake survivors Melek Beria Özer and Muhammed Safa Kara also got the full score. Both students said they had prepared for the exam outside the province due to the earthquakes.