As of June this year, according to report by the organization ‘Freedom for Academia’, approximately 6% of Turkey’s 150 thousand academics had lost their jobs in successive waves of purges launched following the coup. Many of those fired have no apparent involvement in the coup or even with the Gülen movement, implying the regime uses the state of emergency to remove perceived opponents, regardless of their affiliation.

The impact on the Turkish higher education system is already being felt. Research output decreased by 28% in 2017 compared to 2016. The quality of education is also suffering at all levels of tertiary education. The short-term prospect of things improving is close to zero.

Brain Drain from the ‘New’ Turkey: Could the Last Person Out Please Remember to Turn Off the Lights By Abraham Thicke