15 Detained In 7 Provinces For Alleged Fraud In Tender For High School Exam Prep

A total of 15 people were detained in seven provinces on Monday as part of a case involving allegations of fraud in a tender that aimed to send needy children to prep school in 2010 for the Level Determination Exam (SBS), a standardized test that students were required to take for high school entry before 2013.

According to the private Cihan news agency, officers from the Diyarbakır Police Department and prep school directors have been accused of fraud in the tender for prep schools to prepare poor children for the SBS, a charge that was investigated five years ago and dropped as during the administrative and legal investigations it was determined that no fraud took place.

Cihan reported that Diyarbakır Police Department launched a project in 2010 for needy children's education. The project, which was approved by the governor's office at that time, was sent to the State Planning Organization (DPT) and accepted by the Social Support Project (SODES). The project, conducted by the Directorate of Anti-smuggling and Organized Crime branch of the police, held a tender for the education of 500 needy students. The project stipulated all students were to be sent to the same prep school. A number of prep schools, including the ones known to be inspired by the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, were eliminated for not meeting the required conditions and children were sent to the prep school that won the tender.

A number of prep schools then objected to the awarding of the tender, saying the prep school which submitted the lowest price had been eliminated, and called for the tender's cancellation. Following this, former Diyarbakır Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu launched an administrative investigation and the Diyarbakır Governor's Office had an investigation launched into the claims. It was found that the prep school which submitted the lowest price did not have the sufficient capacity to educate 500 students at once. After the investigations the tender was approved, and the project, including a scholarship and clothing award, was launched. Large number of students succeeded in gaining entry to Anatolian and science high schools at the end of the project.

A report recently published in the pro-government Sabah daily recalled the old allegations and blamed the “parallel structure” -- a term invented by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to refer to the faith-based Gülen movement -- for the allegations. The Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor's Office reopened the file and issued detention orders for police officers who took part in the operation in addition to the prep course officers. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)