The faculty held its own protests by academicians turning their back and refusing to work with the plagiarizing politician appointed to lower the educational standard that makes this a world-recognized university. Erdoğan has been on a warpath against independent higher education because he is intolerant of secular science. He changed most high schools to religious schools and appointed loyalist religious lackeys to the heads of many “universities” he opened. However, these institutions became centers of corruption as these rectors appointed their family members to all levels of the schools and filled the curriculum with religious classes. Most Turkish rectors do not have a single article that has been referenced in the academic world. Some appointed rectors also made themselves the deans of many colleges in their schools, obtaining several paychecks in the process.
Academicians at the most prestigious university, Boğaziçi, continue their protest on its 55th day in Turkey
In a move to further consolidate his power in every institution of the land, Erdoğan appointed a chancellor, a rector, to the Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. This was a top-down appointment of a faithful politician to lead a university with a legacy of electing its rector from eligible faculty ranks.
This anti-democratic assignment of a politician with known plagiarism in his record set off a series of protests from the faculty and the student body. As a tradition, the rector was always elected at Boğaziçi.
As usual, the appointed rector called the police that came to beat up the students peacefully protesting an anti-democratic move by the government on campus. Authorities even placed sharpshooters on the roof of neighboring buildings.
Many students were detained, some were arrested. The officers injured students while attacking them on the streets, on the campus, in the police vehicles, or at the police station.
Turkish police raided the student’s homes late at night. Not bothering to even ring the bells, they broke down doors and destroyed the walls to enter. Interior Minister admitted that his officers were calling on the students’ families and threatening them if they did not discipline their children.
The faculty held its own protests by academicians turning their back and refusing to work with the plagiarizing politician appointed to lower the educational standard that makes this a world-recognized university. Erdoğan has been on a warpath against independent higher education because he is intolerant of secular science. He changed most high schools to religious schools and appointed loyalist religious lackeys to the heads of many “universities” he opened. However, these institutions became centers of corruption as these rectors appointed their family members to all levels of the schools and filled the curriculum with religious classes. Most Turkish rectors do not have a single article that has been referenced in the academic world. Some appointed rectors also made themselves the deans of many colleges in their schools, obtaining several paychecks in the process.
To become the president, a college degree is required in Turkey. Erdoğan was unable to produce a satisfactory college diploma that proves he ever attended one. Couple of diplomas produced by the AKP party officials raise more concern of forgery. The date on one of these diplomas is before the school even opened.
The police and the courts released some of the arrested students in recent days after authorities were unable to stop the ongoing demonstrations on the streets. Courts have sentenced some students to house arrest to prevent their participation in the street demonstrations. However, the struggle for democracy and defiance, as seen in the Women’s Day march, shows the momentum has not died down. A woman student tore her electronic ankle bracelet publicly while marching with fellow women celebrating women’s freedom.
The Boğaziçi faculty, on its 55th day of protest, rejected the political appointment of a plagiarizing politician to head their school. They turned their back at the office of the lonely rector sitting alone in his office.
Sendika.org news (MB)