- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Ankara's Education Clampdown Reflects Erdogan's 'Ever-Increasing Clout'

© Flickr / Ivan MlinaricIstanbul university
Istanbul university - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decree on abolishing elections for the country's university rectors will be fraught with far-reaching consequences, Ebru Aylar, head of the University Councils' Association, told Sputnik Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech, flanked by his wife Emine (File) - Sputnik International
Erdogan's Wife Was Wrong: Ottoman Harems Were About Slavery, Not Education
In an interview with Sputnik Turkey, Ebru Aylar, head of the University Councils' Association, warned of serious implications of a decree by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to scrap elections for the country's university rectors.

According to the current education system in Turkey, universities hold elections within their institutions for the position of rector, but the ultimate decision lies with the president. Erdogan has repeatedly insisted that the abolition of the election system would be beneficial for the country.

Speaking to Sputnik Turkey, Aylar stressed that the elections of a university rector has long turned into a kind of theatrical performance in Turkey. She attributed the latest intervention in the higher education system to the growing strengthening of presidential power.

"The current interference indicates the ever-increasing presidential influence in not only Turkey's higher education sector but in all other spheres as well. This trend is felt with every new presidential decree. As for the universities, speaking of their independent significance as institutions is already irrelevant," she said.

Can Dundar (C), editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, accompanied by his Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul (L) arrive at the Justice Palace in Istanbul, Turkey May 6, 2016. - Sputnik International
'Worse Than Military Coup,' But EU Stays Silent on Erdogan Press Crackdown
Aylar warned that candidates for the post of university rector must now cozy up with the authorities.

"Unfortunately, this will lead to a new culture and a new academic identity. There will be no room for those who express opposing views given that the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) party has already transformed universities into an inseparable part of its system," she said.

She recalled that the higher educational establishments traditionally made a considerable impact on the Turkish political system, with all the structures within a university known to take an independent position that was out of line with "the political orientation of the authorities."

"What we see now is the authorities' drive to fully control and determine the policy of all structures in the university system, starting with the rector's chair," Aylar said.

According to her, if any university opposes the process, the rector of this educational establishment university will be appointed from another university, something that she stressed nullifies its independence.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a Republic Day ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, to mark the republic's anniversary as he is flanked by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (R) in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2016. - Sputnik International
Erdogan: Turkey’s Influence Surpasses Territorial Borders
She urged the scientific community to unite and resolutely oppose the new system of university management even in the face of a possible crackdown by authorities.

In July 2016, the Turkish Ministry of Education said in a statement that at least 15,200 of Turkey's education workers had been suspended over an attempt to overthrow the Turkish government earlier that month.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала