Turkish exam watchdog bans dismissed teacher from entering its portal for 8,000 years

Metin Yoksu / Gazete Duvar

Turkey's Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM) banned teacher Ercan Başar, who was dismissed from his position by a decree law in 2017, from accessing the online system used to coordinate exam proctors in central exams for 8,000 years.

Başar in 2012 started his career as a classroom teacher. He was subjected to an administrative investigation and a lawsuit in 2015 due to his social media posts, and he was dismissed from his post in 2017 during emergency rule. 

Başar mentioned that he had shared posts about the children who were killed during the curfews imposed amid the armed conflicts in the southeastern region in 2015-2016.

The court acquitted him in 2022; nonetheless, his reinstatement lawsuit was rejected in the same year.

After the lawsuits, Başar wanted to log in to the ÖSYM's system, but he encountered the warning "Your access to the system has been blocked by the ÖSYM until 31.12.9999" on the main screen. 

He stated that what happened was a "legal travesty" and added, "I am a human rights defender. The ÖSYM's decision to block us is prejudiced. I do not think there is a systemic error. What does it mean to be blocked until 9999?" 

Başar said that the real reason for his dismissal was never communicated to him as the thousands of civil servants were dismissed from their jobs by decree laws during emergency rule.

Following the coup attempt, dozens of decree laws were issued by the President with the powers granted by the state of emergency. In four years, at least 125,000 civil servants were dismissed.

Although these civil servants were alleged to be Fettulahist Terorist Organization (FETÖ) members, there were also many civil servants among them who are member of opposition unions or opposing views against the current government.

Those dismissed from their positions were deprived of many of their civil rights and experienced a "civil death."

(English version by Can Bodrumlu)