Turkey to impose limited weekend curfews due to exams

ANKARA

Limited curfews will be imposed in Turkey on weekends in June when high school and university admission exams are held, the health minister has said.

“The Health Ministry’s Science Board made a recommendation in order to create the necessary conditions for the exams. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ordered a limited curfew to prevent the crowds forming on the streets during examination hours and spare the day only for the youth,” Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter on June 18.

Eight graders will take the High School Transition System (LGS) exam on June 20 and the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) for university entrance will be held in three sessions on June 27 and June 28.

The first curfew in Turkey was declared April 11-12 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and was followed by subsequent ones in the recent weeks.

However, the government recently ended the lockdown as part of its normalization program.

Turkey fully prepared for high school entrance exam: Minister

Turkey has taken all preventive measures against coronavirus prior to the high school entrance exam (LGS) the education minister said on June 18. 

"The number of examination centers has been increased to around 18,000 from 13,000 because we want the students to be comfortable," Ziya Selçuk told Anadolu Agency Editors' Desk.

The number of invigilators has also been increased to 353,000 from 148,000 to provide better assistance to students, he added.

He said separate centers have been allocated for children who are quarantined due to coronavirus.

Prior to entering the examination hall, students will wear a new mask.

However, if they wish, they can remove the mask during the exam, Selçuk added.

In Turkey, any student who successfully completes eight years of basic education can go to high school by taking the LGS test.

School reports to be given online

“We want our students to receive their school reports from e-Okul (e-school) with their parents. We know that it is not right for millions of children to come to schools to take their reports. So we want them to receive reports on digital, electronic environments,” Selçuk said.

He went on to say they will not show haste in reopening schools and risk a second wave of the outbreak.

"We are well-prepared to deal with all possible scenarios," he added.