University exams ‘inevitable’

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

The head of Turkey’s exam board, Ali Demir, has cast doubt on the viability of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s pledge to lift the university exam, citing Turkey’s growing young population.

“In countries like ours where the demand and supply are not balanced, the exam is inevitable. A very large young population is Turkey’s reality. This actually shows our potential. I think that such competition should not be the subject of much concern,” Demir said yesterday.

“We respect the government’s opinion, but exams will always be a part of our lives at every point. We don’t only hold the university entrance exams. We also have other exams such as the KPSS (Public Personnel Selection Examination) or foreign language tests,” he said.

Demir said they were “at ease” about allegations of cheating that had rocked the 2011 university entrance exam because “none of the students who took the exam suffered any harm.“I believe that Turkey needs secure exams. The ÖSYM has created this structure and will continue to do so,” he said.

Erdoğan had said last week the university entry exam would be scrapped and the thousands of private teaching centers that prepare students for it would be closed.