Thousands of Turkish students protest exam code scandal

Hundreds of high school students have skipped class to demand the resignation of an official who oversees Turkey's annual university entrance exam over allegations of cheating.

Students in Ankara, Istanbul and other cities on Friday also demanded the cancellation of the exam's results after the examination board's head, Ali Demir, acknowledged a flaw in the way the test was devised but denied any cheating.

Nearly 2,000 high school students and gathered at Istanbul’s central Taksim Square to protest a cheating scandal affecting this year’s university entrance exam, known by its Turkish acronym YGS.

The students, who organized the demonstration through the use of social media tools such as Facebook, were also supported in their protest by artists, workers, teachers and parents.

Demanding the resignation of the top official who oversees the exam, the students chanted slogans such as "The Imam’s Army, back off from high schools" and "We want free education without exams, not cheat codes."

Demir admitted students could have got most of the multiple choice questions with numerical answers right by choosing the answer to the right of the highest answer given.

He insisted no student knew the formula.

Prosecutors are investigation the allegations of cheating.


/Hurriyet Daily News/