Social media debate stirred after university admission exams brought forward amid COVID-19

The Turkish government has decided to bring forward the nationwide university admission exams of this year to an earlier date in late June than scheduled as part of COVID-19 measures, drawing reaction on social media, as youngsters launched the hashtag #SandiktaGorusuruz (We'll see you at the ballot box) late May 4 on Twitter.

Announcing the measures on May 4 after a cabinet meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that they have determined the steps to be taken in education in line with the recommendations of the Health Ministry and the Science Board.

"Accordingly, the Higher Education Institutions Exam [YKS] will be held on June 27-28," Erdogan said.

The first date determined by the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) for the exam was June 20-21.

But at the end of March, authorities announced that the 2020 university exam would be held on July 25-26 within the scope of coronavirus measures.

Following Erdoğan's announcement, Higher Education Board (YÖK) chair Yekta Saraç made a statement on the plans for the university exams valid only for 2020.

He said the final date set for the YKS exam is only a week after the initial date set, June 20-21.

"This exam will be held one week after the first scheduled date of YKS. Another important issue that requires our candidates not to worry is that the students who will take the exam this year will cover fewer topics from the curricula compared to the previous years," he said.

He stated that the 135-minute period given last year in the basic proficiency test was increased to 165 minutes, an additional 30 minutes for this year.

In the early hours of May 5, Erdoğan tweeted addressing young people that they can rest assured.

"Dear young people,...