The winners of an examination held by the Sivas-based Cumhuriyet University for job vacancies at the university have turned out to be the spouses or children of academics at the university, according to an article in the Sözcü daily on Tuesday.
Associate Professor Osman Alacahan’s son Ömer Faruk Alacahan has been employed at the university rector’s office as a specialist.
Mehtap Çiftçi, the wife of Dr. Taner Çiftçi, an advisor to the rector and also the deputy dean of the education faculty, has been employed as a lecturer at the Healthcare Services Vocational School of the university.
Alev Orhan Yıldızeli, the wife of Dr. Ahmet Turan Orhan, another deputy dean at the education faculty, has been employed as a lecturer at the university’s vocational school.
Vice rector Professor Mehmet Çimen’s son, Kaan Çimen, has been employed as a research assistant at the university’s medical faculty’s anatomy department.
Neval Kılavuz, the wife of Dr. Raci Kılavuz, deputy director of the Social Sciences Institute, has been employed as a lecturer at the Healthcare Services Vocational School.
Many other similar examples are cited in Sözcü’s report.
The relatives of the academics at the university who have been employed told Sözcü that they won the posts thanks to their academic success and that there was no nepotism involved.
The university’s secretary-general Hakan Yekbaş also said nepotism is out of the question in the recruitment of new staff to the university.
“Everyone who meets the necessary criteria takes the exam, and those who are successful wins [the posts],” he said.
In the wake of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the Turkish government has dismissed more than 150,000 people from public posts under the pretext of an anti-coup fight.
Many say the job vacancies caused by the dismissal of so many people are filled by government supporters and that no competence criteria are required.
