Minister of Education Yusuf Tekin publicly accused a teacher of being a “terrorist” after the teacher criticized Turkey’s controversial interview-based hiring system, the TR724 news website reported.
The incident took place on Saturday during the 19th Annual Book Reading Competition organized by Istanbul’s Zeytinburnu Municipality at which Minister Tekin was in attendance.
Özkan Özdemir was denied a teaching position despite scoring high on the Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) because he was eliminated after receiving a significantly lower score in the interview stage.
According to the decree law amending the National Education Organization Law enacted in 2016, an oral exam was introduced for teacher recruitment. Under the system established in 2016, candidates who scored above a certain threshold on the KPSS are invited to interviews at a rate of three candidates per position. For example, if 1,000 math teachers are to be hired, 3,000 candidates are invited to interviews. Appointments are made based on 50 percent KPSS and 50 percent oral exam scores.
Although the oral exam — commonly referred to as an “interview” — is conducted by a panel and candidates’ identities are kept anonymous, critics argue the process is marred by favoritism and inconsistency. Many teacher candidates who scored high in the written exam were awarded very low points in the interview stage, and as a result were not appointed.
Moreover, some candidates were appointed despite having lower average scores, raising concerns about the system’s fairness and reliability.
Candidates have expressed feelings of hopelessness and anxiety about their future under the system, and along with unions have staged protests calling for its abolition.
During Tekin’s speech, Özdemir stood up and described the system as unfair based on his own experience, saying he had appealed his interview results multiple times, but to no avail.
“As teachers victimized by the interview system, we waited at your [the ministry] door. We said we suffered from the interview system, and we demonstrated in front of the ministry, even in cold and the stormy weather. But you never answered our pleas,” said Özdemir.
In response Minister Tekin cut him short and called Özdemir a “megalomaniac.”
“Dear guests, this individual has had ties to certain groups and terrorist organizations, as shown in intelligence reports. I’ve personally met with at least 30 different groups claiming to be victims of the interview process. However, this individual is so arrogant, so megalomaniacal, that he insists on being treated as if he represents everyone,” said the minister.
Tekin maintained that the interview system was fair and objective, adding that those with objections could pursue legal action. Although Özdemir was escorted out by security, he later said on social media that he had already exhausted legal avenues without success. Özdemir also shared a picture of himself working at a construction site because he was unable to teach.
Responding to Tekin’s remarks linking him to terrorist groups, Özdemir declared on social media that he would not bow to what he called a character assassination backed by political power. He demanded an apology from the minister and said if no apology were issued, he would begin a hunger strike.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Suat Özçağdaş criticized Tekin for labeling a teacher a “terrorist.”
“The real terrorists are the lawmakers who have jeopardized the futures of the nation’s educators,” he said.
A group of teachers who were affected by the interview system released a joint statement and said, “Instead of criminalizing our struggle for honor and dignity, listen to the people and to justice!” They said the minister’s branding of their colleague as a terrorist was unacceptable and that all their attempts to be heard by the minister in the past had been obstructed.
“We are not a political formation or organization. Nor are we your subjects, a group you can look down on or humiliate. On the contrary, we are the voices of those whose labor has been unjustly stolen, whose years have been wasted, who have been silenced, trampled on, alienated from their families and driven into social isolation. As the architects of the interview-based injustice, you have left thousands of families without bread. You have unfairly taken away the livelihoods, food and water of those of us who devoted our entire future, time, effort and investment to preparing for the exam. Know this: we have nothing left to lose. We, who are repeatedly humiliated in front of our wives, children and mothers, will continue to raise our voices and assert our existence.”
In March young teacher Emine Sarıaydın died by suicide after being denied a teaching position despite a higher exam score. The aspiring young teacher scored 84 out of 100 on the KPSS but was eliminated after receiving a significantly lower score in the interview stage.
A lack of impartiality in the appointment of public service employees in Turkey has long been a contentious issue, sparking widespread criticism and debate. Allegations frequently surface about the prevalence of nepotism and patronage in the hiring process for various public sector positions, including those in the judiciary, education and civil service.
Critics argue that these practices undermine meritocracy, often leading to the selection of candidates based on personal connections or political affiliations rather than qualifications and competence. The issue has eroded public trust in government institutions and prompted calls for reform.
Sarıaydın’s case is the latest in a troubling trend. In the past decade, at least 300 teacher candidates have reportedly taken their own lives after struggling to secure appointments, with many citing perceived injustices in the recruitment process.
