At ITU, the prestigious Istanbul Technical University, after the posting of a new position, the son of Turkish Parliament’s Speaker Mustafa Şentop applied. However, he was below the required qualification and was turned down. This started an investigation by the government, and the announced spot was forcefully canceled. The investigation was extended to the university’s officials and examination commission. At the conclusion of the investigation, the members of the commission were not punished. However, a new “crime” was invented to punish the head of the department and his deputy at the time.
Mehmet Selahaddin Şentop, the son of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop, also applied for the research assistant position announced for computer engineering at ITU in October 2022. After Şentop failed to succeed in the exam opened for the staff, the exam and the staff announcement were canceled to be re-announced on 6 December 2022 on the grounds of ‘irregularities.’
According to Diken’s Mehmet Baran Kılıç, the investigation has been concluded. The head of the department and his assistant at the time are punished with a “crime” that does not exist but was invented to make the rejection of an applicant a crime.
No ‘irregularities’ were found
According to the school’s statement dated December 7, 2022, the ‘irregularities’ detected were as follows:
* Questions and answers are not recorded by the relevant commission.
* Lack of answer keys for exam questions.
* There are no signs, such as notes, records, etc., by the examining jury showing that the candidate’s answer papers have been read.
* No evaluation of the jury members.
* There is no indication on the answer sheets showing what criteria were used during the grading process.
The heads of the relevant departments and the dean of the faculty were forced to resign, and an investigation was launched against the members of the examination commission.
It took four months
The investigation, which lasted about four months, was finally concluded. As a result of the investigation, the jurors were not punished. However, the head of the department at the time was given a suspension, and the vice president was given a reprimand.
The reason for the punishment is the accusation that the members of the commission prepared the questions in consultation with other academics.
As a reason for the punishment, reference is made to the ‘Regulation on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Central Examination and Entrance Exams to be Applied in the Appointments to be Made to the Teaching Staff Other Than Lecturers,’ but there is no such crime in the said regulation.
Istanbul Technical University sources told Diken that for a long time, the commission members had consulted other academics to prepare questions in exams in the computer engineering department because the commission would not be able to master every field. Sources said it was customary to consult experts on the subject matter.
When they couldn’t find a reason to punish the school officials, they extended the investigation.
The investigation was prolonged because there was no reason to find any irregularities, and finally, as ITU sources say, a crime was invented.
Articles in favor of Şentop’s qualifications were added to the terms of the re-announced position announcement, and thus Şentop ‘finally got what he wanted.’
Sources who spoke to Diken previously pointed out that the results of the two exams were almost the same and that the rector should answer the questions: Why did he investigate the commissioners of the previous exam? Why were the department heads and the dean forced to resign? What is the reason for the disruptions in the process?
Source: Diken
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