ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey’s education ministry has revoked the licenses of 21,000 teachers working in private institutions, an official at the ministry told Reuters on Tuesday, part of an expanding government crackdown following a failed coup attempt.

The announcement came shortly after a report that the High Education Board had ordered the resignation of 1,577 deans at all universities across Turkey.

“The licenses of 21,000 teachers working in privately-run institutions have been canceled. Tip-offs that these (people) are mostly linked with terrorist activities have been taken into consideration,” the ministry official said, without elaborating.

(This story has been refiled to fix the headline)