New coefficient system makes things ‘harder, not impossible’

“The new figures chosen by YÖK are not going to make it impossible for students who would like to choose a different area study to pursue it, but they do make it more difficult for them to do so, as required by the decisions of the judiciary,” a statement released by YÖK yesterday read.

After a series of decisions which were blocked by the Council of State, YÖK decided on Wednesday that the new coefficients would be 0.12 and 0.15 instead of the previous 0.13 and 0.15. If a student chooses an area of study at the higher education level outside of his or her vocational concentration, then the student’s score at university exams will be multiplied by 0.12. If a student chooses an area of higher education in continuation with his or her vocational studies, then his or her score will be multiplied by 0.15. The system aims at reducing the differences in scores obtained at university exams between regular and vocational high school graduates.

The 8th Chamber of the Council of State had ruled in February to retain a system that uses a lower coefficient to calculate the university admission examination scores of graduates of vocational high schools. The system makes it more difficult for vocational school graduates to enroll in a program of their choice. Initially, the coefficients were 0.3 and 0.8.

The YÖK statement also indicated that the most recent coefficients are ones that “would not hurt the unity of the system” and are the maximum numbers that are in line with the principles of measurement and evaluation. “While making the decision, we evaluated the previous university exam results and the practice and aimed at placing qualified students into higher education institutions,” it said.

The coefficient system was introduced during the Feb. 28, 1997 postmodern coup period in an attempt to keep students from religious imam-hatip schools -- classified as vocational schools -- out of universities. The system has been the subject of strong criticism in Turkey as it is clearly unfair toward graduates of vocational schools -- including imam-hatip schools, which have an additional curriculum to provide religious education to students -- who want to study at universities.

In a landmark move last July, YÖK decided to totally abolish the coefficient system to eliminate the inequality between graduates of vocational schools and all other high schools in Turkey.

Shortly after the YÖK decision, the İstanbul Bar Association asked the 8th Chamber of the Council of State to ensure the coefficient system remains in place. In late November, the court ruled to retain the system, arguing that the abolishment of the coefficient system would damage the integrity and harmony in the organization of the Turkish education system. The court also added that the move to remove the coefficient is against the law and the principle of equality and would lead to damage that is impossible to repair.

Undaunted by the court’s decision, YÖK appealed the ruling, saying the only body authorized to decide the calculation method is YÖK itself. In December, it attempted to partially solve the problem by reducing the difference in the coefficients used to calculate the scores of regular and vocational high school students to 0.13 percent.

The İstanbul Bar Association, however, again asked the Council of State to rule against the YÖK move in late December. The bar request was denounced by many civil society organizations and vocational school students. The 8th Chamber of the Council of State, however, ignored all protests and ruled to retain the notorious coefficient system, causing YÖK to design another method to solve the problem.