not to agree with TÜSIAD's position. For example, the then Minister of National Education, Avni Akyol, criticised the report in terms of human rights, claiming such proposals undermined the principle of equal opportunity in education. Following the reforms of March 2012 that extended compulsory education to 12 years and allowed for Imam Hatip schools to be opened and "middle school" level (second term of four years) experts warned that the possible increase in the number of Imam Hatip schools was not in line with people’s expectations and described it as a “top-down” process. Critics noted that the new education system seemed to be a revenge being taken for Imam Hatip schools that were shut down after 1997. A survey conducted by the Turkey İmam-Hatip Alumni Foundation (TİMAV), revealed that the majority of Turks hold positive views about Imam Hatip schools. The survey, titled “Perception of İmam-Hatip High Schools and İmam-Hatip Students in Turkey,” was conducted between April 24 and May 18, 2012 with 2,689 people in 26 provinces. Most of the respondents were not Imam Hatip graduates. The bill of March 2012 was written without public debate — or even discussion in the education ministry’s own consultative body, the National Education Council — and it did not figure in the government’s 2011 election manifesto. According to education specialists, the new measures would undermine educational standards and deepen social inequalities. The education faculties of most of Turkey’s leading universities — including Sabancı University, Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University and Koç University all issued press statements describing the reforms of 2012 as "hastily conceived, retrograde and out of step with current thinking". Notable alumni Cemal Çavdarlı (born 1966), Former Belgian MP (2003-2007) Ahmet Hakan Coşkun (born 1967), journalist Ömer Dinçer (born 1956), academician, politician and former government minister Nazım Ekren (born 1956), Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 1954), former Mayor of Istanbul, former Prime Minister of Turkey and leader of Justice and Development Party (AKP), now President of the Republic of Turkey Mehmet Müezzinoğlu (born 1955), physician and minister of health See also Education in Turkey References External links Imam Hatip Schools Alumni Association İmam Hatip Okulları Genelgesi, Hürriyet (30 September 2003) Vocational education in Turkey School types Islamic schools in Turkey