Constantly changing exam requirements test patience of Turkish youth
June 29, 2010
Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu's announcement Monday that the three-stage exam implemented uygulamak three years ago for high school entrance would be changed back to a single test is just the latest reversal geri dönme to have students, families and educators abuzz gürültü, uğultu.
"The [government] does not have a clear policy on how to govern national education with democratic methods and in a scientific way,' said Zübeyde Kılıç, president-general of the educators' union Eğitim-Sen, who blamed suçlamak the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, for abandoning bırakmak the concept of national education and leaving it up to the private sector.
Çubukçu defended the ministry's recent decision by saying the current qualification test for high school entrance, known as the SBS, subjects children to exam stress at too young an age. "Education is a very lively process,' she said, adding that the ministry arrived at its decision by listening to academic experts and consulting (f.) danışmak scientific reports. "We are living in a rapidly changing world so we have to administer (f.) yönetmek our [country's] education by constantly questioning our understanding of governing.'
Currently, students have to take the SBS in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Under the new plan Çubukçu announced Monday, the exam will be phase out safhalarla bitmek gradually. Students who have already taken at least one of the tests will finish out the existing three-step process, while those who start sixth grade in the fall will take a single exam in the eighth grade. The minister announced Tuesday that the high school entrance exam would be eliminate elemek altogether in four years.
"How easy directing education is; just change the tests and it is done,' Sadık Gültekin wrote in his Tuesday column köşe yazısı for daily Vatan. "Did you notice? Hüseyin Çelik [Çubukçu's predecessor selef] came and his first action was changing the testing system. The person responsible for [the Higher Education Board, or] YÖK came and his first action was changing the tests. Nimet Çubukçu came and her first action was changing the tests.'
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