Turkish Court of Accounts reveals how private schools defraud Education Ministry

Duvar English

The Court of Accounts' most recent audit report on the Education Ministry for 2023 has revealed many irregularities, especially those conducted by private schools towards the ministry to receive incentives.

The Education Ministry pays a certain amount of contribution to businesses for students doing internships. The report identified irregularities in the contribution payments made to enterprises for students attending internship and complementary education in vocational and technical high schools, according to the reporting of the online news outlet Medyascope.

For example, enterprises with 20 employees were paid as if they had 40 employees because they registered as many as they could to the system.

The Court of Accounts also investigated the number of personnel of private education enterprises in the ministry’s system. Accordingly, there were numerous companies with zero or one staff.

The number of employees determining the amount of state contribution did not coincide with the amount paid. The court identified businesses that received contributions for 62 students even though they had zero personnel. 

Also, private schools registered their own enterprises to the system in order to demonstrate their own students as trainees to receive more incentives.

The Court of Accounts also found that the ministry made payments to the institutions with which it had made agreements even after their protocols had been terminated.

Although the “SMS Notification Cooperation” protocols with GSM operators in the country were terminated as of March 2023, the ministry continued to deposit money into the GSM operators' accounts on different dates throughout the year.

Within the scope of the protocol between the Education Ministry and the state television TRT, payments were made without determining the nature of the works to be carried out by TRT and the amounts to be paid for these works. TRT requested 15.4 million liras for broadcasts between 2020 and 2023. The ministry paid this amount in one lump sum without conducting the necessary analysis, according to the audit.

According to the report, the provincial directorates of education did not calculate the cost of construction tenders in accordance with the legislation as well. Those who prepared tender documents calculated figures above the approximate cost.

Students left without dorms by universities despite available resources

The Court of Accounts also published its audit reports on universities. 

It determined that Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University left its dormitory idle while hundreds of thousands of students had housing problems in Turkey.

The university told the Court of Accounts that the facilities were not idle and that they were used as needed for events such as symposiums and conferences for students from abroad. However, the court report stated that no documentation could be provided for this claim.

On the other hand, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University released announcements for academic  appointments with extremely personalized details in descriptions, prepared for a certain person.

For example, a listing by the university required qualifications such as “having studies in the field of settlement systems, burial customs and monumental architectural decorations of the archaic period of the Iron Age in Ionia.” 

The Court of Accounts warned both institutions, according to the daily BirGun’s reporting on the report.