Imam-Hatip High Schools In İstanbul Remain Empty

Roughly 8,000 student places in imam-hatip high schools in İstanbul have not been filled this year, despite the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government aggressively promoting such schools, which provide an Islamic religious education in addition to the regular coursework.

Middle school students have until Sept. 7 to apply for admission to high schools, based on their results in the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education (TEOG) exam, which all children in Turkey have to take to progress to high school. However, large numbers of places in imam-hatip high schools have not been filled because far fewer students than anticipated by the government have chosen to enroll in them.

According to a report in the Cumhuriyet daily on Wednesday, 7,800 places have not been taken in İstanbul, while the total number of vacancies in all other high schools in İstanbul is only 5,408. There are only two places unfilled in science and social science high schools in İstanbul, while this number is 78 for language-focused Anatolian high schools. A total of 1,394 places are unfilled in Anatolian high schools with multiple curriculums, while 3,934 places have not yet been taken at Anatolian vocational and technical high schools.

The government has faced frequent criticism for trying to manipulate the education system in line with its political Islamist agenda by limiting the high school opportunities available to students who complete middle school, pushing them to attend imam-hatip high schools. At an event on June 30, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the increase in enrollment at such schools, saying it would help raise pious Muslim children.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)