The ÖSYM has drawn much criticism lately due to the recent State Personnel Examination (KPSS), taken by hundreds of thousands of people. The fact that around 3,200 people answered most or all of the questions on the test correctly -- a first in Turkey -- has led to allegations that some of the candidates cheated during the test or obtained the questions ahead of the exam. Some of the most successful test takers were either married to each other or were friends sharing the same house, which some argue increases the likelihood that they cheated. The teacher appointments will not take place until the allegations of cheating are resolved.
Information technology experts from the Ankara Police Department raided the ÖSYM building following a court order. The experts examined the computers of ÖSYM board members based on the allegations that the questions had been distributed to certain people by e-mail. They will also check the telephone records of ÖSYM members who were on the committee that prepared the test questions.
Gendarmes also seized the computer of Baki Saçı, 24, who is claimed to have obtained the test questions beforehand and sent them on to others, in the Isparta town of Sücüllü on Tuesday. Saçı had earlier denied the allegations.
The Turkish Education Personnel Union (Türk Eğitim-Sen) on Tuesday presented information about an e-mail address that they claim was used to distribute the questions from the KPSS educational sciences test to prosecutor Şadan Sakınan, who launched an investigation into the cheating allegations.
Speaking at a press conference in front of the Ankara Courthouse before turning over information to the prosecutor, Türk Eğitim-Sen President İsmail Koncuk thanked the members of the press who he said have helped them voice their concerns about the examination. He also said the delay of the appointments is a smart and right step.
Meanwhile, representatives from several civil society organizations have demanded the recalculation of the test results because the results of the test takers are calculated by a relative evaluation system in which the performance of every test taker affects the value of every question.
