Şevki Kılıç, an 81-year-old “philosopher scrap dealer” and graduate of two universities in Edirne, northwestern Türkiye, will take the university entrance exam for the eighth time this year to prove to young people that education is possible at any age and to test his knowledge.
After retiring, Kılıç supported his household by working as a scrap dealer. He completed the history departments of Trakya University and Anadolu University. Over the years, he was admitted to four different university programs but, for various reasons, did not continue his studies in those departments.
Known in the city as the “philosopher scrap dealer” and “wise grandfather,” Kılıç, who has taken university exams eight times over 42 years, will also participate in the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) scheduled for June 21.
Kılıç aims to continue taking exams as long as his health allows, motivating young people by demonstrating that education is possible at every stage of life.
He said education is a passion for him, emphasizing that there is no age limit for studying and stated that his main goal is to set an example for students as a “rabbit vest,” a metaphor for being a role model.
Kılıç also learned that he is the oldest candidate registered to take this year’s exam. Expressing excitement about taking the exam, he said, “As the President of ÖSYM (Student Selection and Placement Center) said, I am the student who will take the exam at the age of 81. As far as I know, a young person finished high school at 15 and will take the exam as well; I congratulate him.”
He added that he would not make any university preferences based on his exam score. “My purpose in taking the exams is partly to measure and test my knowledge. My main aim is to keep my knowledge current and to be an example for young people,” he said.
In his free time, Kılıç translates Ottoman newspapers from the 1880s. He is also preparing a book. His first book will focus on compilations of daily news from Edirne at the end of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. The book will be published soon.
Kılıç believes that everyone should receive a university education and added: “Last year, I even took the university exam with my grandchild. When people saw me taking the exam, they were initially surprised and said, ‘You can’t succeed at this age.’ But I have preserved the knowledge I learned 66 years ago at Edirne High School until today. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for me to be admitted to the archaeology department, which requires equal-weighted courses, after 60 years old.”
