Educators Demand For Transparency in University Administrations

Tahsin Yeşildere, chair of University Educators Association, told bianet that recent cables leaked by RedHack on Tuesday have once demonstrated how university administrations were longtime left uninspected in Turkey.

"We always knew that corruption was widespread at Turkish universities. It is due to excessive competencies given to university presidents, as well the lack of control mechanisms," Yeşildere said.

"These cables," Yeşildere continued, "proves against how universities must be inspected and controlled by its own constituents and how university administration should be democratic, economically independent and transparent."

Some of the cables leaked by RedHack included a controversy in Kastamonu Province University where an individual has been assigned to a faculty teaching staff and administration with fake credentials.

"We already knew about this case," Yeşildere said. "I have witnessed similar cases too. In Istanbul university, we have reported an individual who made fraud on his foreign language test results. Even though the University president knew the case, he didn't order for investigation."

Yeşildere also mentioned a case in Firat University where the university administration allocated a bank promotion of roughly 600.000 euros for purchasing an expensive car and funding student activity week. "This is a very huge expense. Especially at a time, when students suffer from the lack of basic requirements such as lodging and dining on campus centers. The money should instead be used for improving social and recreational facilities."

"Most university presidents spend the massive amount provided by student tuitions and staff salaries like some sort of additional income for themselves," Yeşildere said. "We believe that this amount belongs to students and it should be allocated for students.

Lastly,Yeşildere claimed that university administrations make investment agreements with banks where administrators deposit university staff salaries with high interest rates and save money without their consents. "Not only that, I have heard practices where university presidents used the payments from temporarily renting out historical buildings on campus." (BK/HK)