Turkeys MinistryofNational Education says it has dismissed more than 15,000 of its employees from their jobs over their alleged involvement in last weeks attempted military coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry said that "15,200 state employees have been suspended and an investigation has been launched into them.
It further noted that those suspended are in both urban and rural establishments, and that aprobe has been launched against them.
Meanwhile, the Turkish broadcaster TRT reported that the High Education Board has ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans, including 1,176 in public universities and 401 in private institutions.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency also reported that 399 employees of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies had been stripped of their responsibilities.
Thousands of others have been suspended from the police force, the military, Finance Ministry and other public sector positions as part of the Turkish governments sweeping crackdown on those believed to have played a role in the abortive July 15 putsch.
The coup began when a faction of the Turkish military declared it was in control of the country and the government was no more in charge.
Tanks, helicopters, and soldiers then clashed with police and people on the streets of the capital, Ankara, and Istanbul.
More than 300 people were killed on all sides in the attempted coup dtat that was gradually suppressed.
Following the putsch, eight military officers - two commanders, four captains and two sergeants -fled to Greece in ahelicopter.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Turkey's Ambassador to Greece, Kerim Uras, speaks during a news conference after a failed military coup in Turkey, at the Turkish embassy in Athens, Greece, July 19, 2016. Reuters[/caption]Turkey's ambassador to Greece on Tuesday called on Athens to swiftly return the officers, who have applied for asylum in Greece.
Failure to return the eight "will not help" ties between the two countries, Kerim Uras added.
The Turkish envoy further rejected reports that the officers would not be treated fairly at home, noting, "We take offence for such reporting because needless to say, they will face a fair trial.
By Press TV
