Minister-owned university in Turkey requests surveillance of student rooms during final exams

Duvar English

Istanbul's Medipol University, which is owned by Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, has come under fire for requesting video footage of students' home study rooms while they are taking final exams, according to a report in the Cumhuriyet daily. 

The university reportedly requested that students show their table, walls, curtains ceilings and all the furniture that is in the room in which they are taking the final, and even sent students a video detailing how they could capture all of this with a camera. 

“We are students but like everyone else, our privacy should be respected,” said student M.K., who spoke to the daily Cumhuriyet. 

Another student expressed contempt for the university's request, saying that they have been trying to continue on with their education from home in the best way possible during the coronavirus epidemic. 

“When they could have come up with more developed and effective homework or projects in order to prevent copying, invading our private lives in such a way is legally objectionable,” said student D.A.

Following the mounting reactions from students, the university announced that the finals scheduled for May would be postponed to June, and that students would be able to choose from five different types of exams, including projects, though they did not specify whether or not the students would be monitored during this process.