Turkey's educational services are organized to meet the social requirements of a modern society. The Turkish educational system is democratic, modern, secular and co-educational. The aims of the system are to raise the prosperity and happiness of Turkish citizens and society; support and accelerate economic, social and cultural development in line with national unity and integrity; and make Turks constructive, creative and distinguished participants of a modern civilization.

A. Education and training laws

B. Development plans

C. National Education Councils

D. Government programs

The basic services of the state are designed under:

The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey

Basic Law of National Education No. 1739

The Law for Unification of Education

Law No. 4306 for Eight-Year Compulsory, Uninterrupted Education

Development plans are prepared every five years to gauge the labor requirements of the country, labor-employer relations, resources allocated to formal and non-formal education, the distribution of these resources, and measures to improve the quality of education and training. Related measures are implemented in cooperation with the concerned organizations and institutions coordinated by the State Planning Organization.

National Education Councils are consultative decision-making bodies attached to the Education Ministry under Law No. 2287 (1933), a law to develop and improve Turkey's educational system. They meet every three years. The councils function in a democratic framework as scholarly, participatory meetings. Their decisions are evaluated by the Board of Education. Before being implemented, these decisions are put into a final form by the education minister.

Government programs are prepared and implemented in line with the laws regulating education and training, the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, and the policies and strategies related to national education.

The Education Ministry is made up of central, provincial and overseas structures, in addition to related establishments.

The Education Ministry assumed its present structure under Law No. 3797 dated April, 30, 1992.

Under Basic Law on National Education No. 1739, the Turkish educational system consists of two main divisions:

a. Formal education

b. Non-formal education

The formal education school system has four levels:

Pre-primary education is optional. Children who have not yet reached school age may attend pre-primary school. The following are offered:

0-36 months (0-2 years old): Daycare

36-72 months (3-5 years old): Kindergarten and pre-primary school

Under the Eighth Five-Year Development Program, 16.1% of children attended these schools.

During the 2006-07 school year, nearly 641,000 pupils attended these schools.

 Primary Education

In Turkey, attending primary school is mandatory for children age 6-14. All state schools are free.

  Primary education consists of eight-year schools and is mandatory. At these schools, education is uninterrupted for a period of eight years and at the end, graduates are given primary school certificates. Primary education aims to be a process which takes into consideration students' interests, maturation, talents and vocational values in line with the aims of both Turkish education and modern education.

During the 2006-07 school year, nearly 10.9 million students (including those in open primary schools) attended these schools.

At the end of the Eighth Five-Year Development Program, the enrollment rate in primary schools was 96.4% (gross) and 90.1% (net). The Ninth Five-Year Development Program calls for a primary school enrollment rate of 100%.

Secondary education covers general and vocational technical secondary schools which provide a minimum of fours year of education for primary school graduates. The aim of secondary education is to provide students, through various programs, with general culture and to prepare them for higher education, life and business in line with their interests and talents.

Schooling rates are as follows:

The overall enrollment rate was 86.6% (gross) and 56.5% (net).

During the 2006-07 school year, nearly 3.4 million students (including open secondary school students) attended these schools.

 The Ninth Five-Year Development Program calls for a secondary school enrollment rate of 100%.

 a. General Secondary Schools

The aim of these schools is to prepare students to contribute to the country's economic, social and cultural development and to prepare them for higher education. These schools offer a four-year education program.

 During the 2006-07 school year, over 2.14 million students (including open secondary school students) attended these schools.

 b. Vocational and Technical Secondary Schools

Vocational and technical secondary schools in the vocational and technical general directorates are institutions which train young people in commercial and vocational fields and prepare them for higher education. These schools also offer a four-year education program.

They are made up of:

 l. Technical education schools for boys

2. Technical education schools for girls

3. Religious education schools.

4. Commercial and tourism education schools

During the 2006-07 education year, over 1.2 million students (including open vocational and technical secondary school students) attended these schools.

l. Technical secondary schools for boys

These schools, which function under the General Directorate of Technical Education for Boys, train young people as semi-skilled labor for national industry.

  2. Technical secondary schools for girls

 The main aim of the technical secondary schools for girls is to train young women as semi-skilled technical personnel in line with the general aims and basic principles of Turkish education. When their training is completed, these young women will be able to contribute both to industry and their family incomes. 

3. Religious Education Schools

İmam (religious official) or preacher high schools, established under Article 4 of Unification of Education Law No. 1739, are educational institutions which offer programs within the middle education system that prepare students both for higher education and for such positions as imam preachers.

 4. Commercial-Tourism Secondary Schools

  These schools train young people as skilled workers needed by the public and private sectors in Turkey in the following fields: commerce, tourism, bookkeeping, computer science, finance, marketing, banking, secretarial, insurance, exchange services, local administration, communications, etc. They learn a foreign language.

Special training is given by qualified personnel using special programs in an atmosphere suitable for handicapped children.

Special education is available to children age 18 and under who, because they exhibit certain handicaps due to their physical, mental, psychological, emotional or social characteristics, are unable to benefit from regular education services.

Under the principle of equal educational opportunity, the Education Ministry considers the education of handicapped children to be very important.

The duties of guidance research centers include carrying out research into special education, determining how many children need such training, providing them with proper guidance, and offering special therapy to children who cannot harmonize with their social surroundings and related coordination activities.

Private Education Institutions cover various types and levels of private schools, and courses and training centers which operate under Law No. 625. The activities of these institutions are regulated by the Education Ministry. 

· Private Turkish schools which function as primary and secondary educational institutions (including vocational and technical high schools) are established by real and corporate bodies who are Turkish citizens.

· Private foreign schools which function as primary and secondary schools are established by foreign nationals and corporate bodies.

· Private minority schools which function as primary and secondary schools are established by non-Muslim communities (Greek, Armenian or Jewish).

· International private educational schools are established either by individuals and corporate bodies having foreign nationalities through a joint partnership with Turkish nationals or by Turkish nationals or corporate bodies. Only foreigners can attend these schools.

Institutions of higher learning lasting at least two years are based on secondary education. These institutions aim to meet society's requirements for skilled personnel at various levels. The development of countries in the modern world is determined by their level of education, science and technology. Turkey's basic aim is to reach international standards of higher education both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Since the Republic of Turkey was founded, significant developments have been seen in higher education. In 1933 the "Darulfûnun" became Istanbul University. During the 2006-07 school year, the number of universities (including private ones) reached 93, and presently over 2.4 million students (including over 845,000 open university students) are enrolled in these universities.

Non-formal education, one of the two basic divisions of the national education system, covers education, training, guidance and applied activities which are not included in the formal education system. Non-formal education applies to individuals who lack a formal education, or who are currently at a particular stage.

Non-formal education aims at providing adults with literacy skills and basic knowledge, furthering develop acquired knowledge and skills, and creating new opportunities for improving their standard of living. Non-formal education is made up of two main parts: general and vocational-technical education.

The Education Ministry is reorganizing the objectives, programs, structures of the school system, concentrating on efforts to develop, generalize and restructure school education and the training system in the context of lifetime learning, and focusing on lifetime education rather than non-formal.

Of the 925 non-formal educational institutes affiliated to Education Ministry, various services have been offered to individuals in all age groups. 

Most educational activities offered at non-formal educational institutes take place at some 925 adult education centers. These centers offer the following types of courses and workshops to people of various ages and educational levels:

In 2006,

Apprenticeship training includes the training of children and young people of secondary education age who have completed primary education but cannot continue this education for various reasons. Young people age 14-19 with at least a primary education are eligible for apprenticeships. Under the law, apprenticeship training is offered in 89 fields in all provinces of the country.

Under apprenticeship and vocational education legislation, the vocational educational system has established three basic fields of education: formal vocational education, apprenticeship and vocational courses.

  Distance Education

Distance leaning services are offered in order to provide equal educational opportunities and support training offered at primary and secondary educational institutions. Open primary schools (OPS-AIO), open secondary schools (OHS-AÖL), and vocational and technical open schools are included in distance learning educational services.

Along with eight years of mandatory primary education, open primary schools have been established. Open primary schools provide citizens (first within the country, and then abroad) who graduated from elementary school but were unable to attend a secondary education institution for some reason with the opportunity to complete their eight years of primary education through distance learning.

Open education provides services for students unable to attend formal education institutions, due to a lack of opportunity, or who are older than the formal education age, or who want to transfer to an open high school while continuing with formal high schools.

Vocational and technical open education schools are vocational and technical educational institutions which provide educational opportunities for citizens who have completed primary education either through distance learning education or regular education programs, but could not benefit from vocational training due to various reasons, as well as citizens who could not attend a institution of higher education and acquire vocational knowledge and skills.

In the 2006-07 school year,

For cultural exchange programs prepared in line with bilateral agreements to which our country is party, efforts are being made and coordinated by the Foreign Ministry. The educational challenges faced by children living abroad and solutions to them are being discussed as required by the cultural exchange programs conducted by the Education Ministry.

 4. MINISTRY EDUCATION AND TRAINING EFFORTS

The main goal of measurement of learning is not to track failure, but on the contrary to measure achievements.

The basic points in the evaluation of learning are:

1. Acquiring written and oral skills,

2. Boosting problem-solving skills

3. Providing a certain level of education and awareness

Moreover:

In spite of exams which evaluate the achievements of student success, the behavior and attitudes of students are assessed by teachers. School guidance services and families cooperate with each other, and the teachers evaluations are indicated on the students' transcripts as "Behavior Grade."

A student's achievement in the first three grades of primary education is evaluated by classroom performance. A maximum of two tests or written exams are administered in grades 4 and 5 for evaluation purposes.

In grades 6, 7 and 8, a minimum of two written exams and one oral examination are administered for each subject. At the secondary level, the number of exams cannot be less than three per term for subjects taught in three or more teaching periods per week, and not less than two for courses taught for one or two teaching periods per week.

In addition to the exams, student achievement is evaluated through projects, assignments, on-the-job and classroom performance, and extracurricular activities.

  School Year Start and End Dates 

The school year begins in the second week of September and finishes at the end of the second week of June. School is open approximately between September 10 and the June 20.

One school year comprises 180 working days. There are 185 holidays, comprised of summer vacation and weekends, along with midterm, national, and religious holidays.

The number of school periods per week varies according to the type and level of school, as indicated in the table below.

Preschool: Preschool education lasts from 8 am to 6 pm in kindergartens and practice classes. There are also half-day schools.

Number of Compulsory Courses for Teachers at the Primary and Secondary Education Levels:

 Age for Each Level of Education:

                           Kindergarten: 3-5

After the completion of mandatory education, individuals may attend non-formal education classes.

Teacher-training programs implemented in institutions of higher educational are made up of 62.5% special subject areas, 12.5% general culture, and 25% pedagogy.

Additionally, each student is involved in student teaching at nearby schools. After graduation, these students become apprentice teachers for one or two years. They attend courses designed by the National Education Department of In-Service Training.

 Teacher Appointments

Every school year the Education Ministry determines the need for teachers, and the number and specialties of these teachers is announced by the mass media. Teachers are then appointed according to applications submitted.

  Diploma and Certificates

In Turkey, additional exams are not needed at all levels of education to obtain a diploma. A diploma is granted according to the evaluation of a student's average achievement throughout the student's school years, and is issued to the student by the school.

Exams are given to obtain a general diploma neither at the national level nor in private schools.

A diploma issued by a high school or an equivalent vocational school allows a student to enter a university. Diplomas issued by private schools founded under Private Education Institutions Law No. 625 are equivalent to diplomas issued by state schools.

  Transition to University

Diplomas issued by a high school or any of its equivalent institutions make a student eligible to enter a university.

Students are admitted into institutions of higher education after passing a nationwide examination administered every year by the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM).

A European Union Desk was formed at the Education Ministry to help harmonize Turkey's educational system with those of EU countries. It works towards the following ends:

EUROPEAN UNION EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

The treaties of Rome (1957) and Maastrich (1992) set out the EU's educational priorities. In line with these priorities, the EU has established various programs and activities. The first parts of the Leonardo da Vinci Program in vocational training and the Socrates Program in general education were completed in 1995-99. The European Council decision for the second part of the Leonardo da Vinci Program was implemented on June 11, 1999 and that of the Socrates program on February 2, 2000. Turkey has obtained the right to participate in these programs.

  Socrates

The Socrates program is Europe's educational program which involves nearly 30 European countries.

Its main objective is to build up a Europe of knowledge and thus provide a better response to the major challenges of this new century: to promote lifelong learning, stress the necessity for educational opportunities for everyone, and help people acquire standard qualifications and skills. In more specific terms, Socrates seeks to promote language, and encourage mobility and innovation.

Socrates advocates European cooperation in all areas of education. This cooperation takes on different forms: mobility (moving around Europe), organizing joint projects, setting up European networks (disseminating ideas and good practice), and conducting studies and comparative analyses. In practice, Socrates offers people grants to study, teach, undertake a placement or follow a training course in another country. It provides support for educational establishments to organize teaching projects and to exchange experiences. It helps associations and NGOs in organizing activities on educational topics, etc.

Socrates sets out to stress the multicultural character of Europe as one of the cornerstones of active citizenship. It supports the education of the least advantaged groups of people. It endeavors to counter social exclusion and under-achievement at school. It promotes equal opportunities for women and men irrespective of circumstances. It sets great store by the new information communication technologies (ICT). It encourages the learning of different European languages and innovations in education.

On December 6, 1994, the Council of Ministers of the European Union adopted the Leonardo da Vinci program for the implementation of a Community vocational training policy. This program, adopted for a period of five years (1995-99) had a key objective of supporting the development of policies and innovative action in member states, by promoting projects in the context of transnational partnerships which involve different organizations with an interest in training.

The program had a total budget of €620 million for five years and was open to the 15 member states, the three states of the European Economic Space and progressively to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Poland and the Slovak Republic.

A preparation period of 18 months is required for Turkey's active participation in these programs. The preparation period includes the establishment of a national agency which would be responsible for the implementation of the education and youth programs; training members of the national agency; promotional and informative activities about the program; translation of all the documents into Turkish; and establishing an information network.

Agreement was reached with Turkish officials that the Communities financial aid in 1999 would focus on a limited number of priorities. The aim was twofold: to be able to allocate sufficient resources to achieve the projects' objectives, and to enhance the impact of EU action.

The three main programs for the year were in the fields of basic education (£100 million), administrative cooperation (£12 million) and civil society (£8 million). The European Commission also contributed £1.7 million to help establish effective intellectual property legislation and committed £18.6 million in interest subsidies for European Investment Bank loans for environmental projects (waste and water networks in Tarsus and Diyarbakır).

The Community's largest contribution within the framework of financial cooperation with Turkey – €100 million – was allocated to a basic education project supporting the extension of primary education for children age 5 to 8. Aid will be given to the Education Ministry to pay for a qualitative overhaul of initial and vocational training, and to ensure a positive spinoff for the country as a whole. In addition, substantial support will be devoted to implementing the reforms in 12 of the most disadvantaged provinces aimed at achieving quantitative and qualitative improvement in education, for girls and women in particular.

Finally, support will be given to the opening of local multidisciplinary centers for segments of the population excluded from basic education (children, young people and adults) in cities with a high level of immigration, mainly Istanbul.

The administrative cooperation program is proving to be very important in allowing Turkish officials to implement the Customs Union agreement and generally pursue greater integration with the EU across the board. It will be used to finance visits by Turkey's officials and experts to meet their EU counterparts, and also to carry out work by specialists to help the Turkish administration and to organize training for Turkish ministries, etc.

The framework program for the development of civil society is aimed in particular at backing citizens' initiatives and helping to establish more equitable relations between people and the government.

As regards geographical distribution, project operations tend to focus on the provinces to the southeast and east, whose development is lagging behind that of the rest of the country. Particular attention has been given to those provinces affected by the August 1999 earthquake. Special efforts were also exerted to address gender issues.

With £140.3 million committed in 1999, Turkey received a total of £376.2 million in the course of the MEDA I Program (1995-99). Around 50 projects have been conducted in the following areas: private sector support (small- and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs), public health, basic education and vocational training, the environment, and the defense and promotion of human rights and civil society.

v Support for Basic Education Program

The program went into effect on February 8, 1999 with the signing of a financial agreement between the government of the Republic of Turkey and the European Commission.

The European Commission-funded Support for Basic Education Project has been planned in direct support of the Education Ministry's Basic Education Reform Program. With a lifespan of five years, the project seeks to increase access to and improve the quality of the education delivered within the overall framework of increased decentralization in the decision-making process. Access to basic education will be facilitated through increased physical capacity and improved teacher supply, and through the introduction of specific strategies to encourage enrolment in rural areas, especially among girls.

Quality improvements will result from reformed teacher education provision, from a review of the curriculum and its associated assessment schedules and practices, from the promotion of whole school development, including improved management practices, from the enhanced provision of information technology, and from the development of flexible approaches to educational provision which maximize the potential benefits of non-formal education initiatives. Increased awareness of the importance of education will be promoted through increased community involvement, supporting the national trend towards increased decentralization in the decision-making process.

EC financial support to the project equals €100 million, 70 million of which will be allotted to buildings and equipment. The remainder is allocated to support project activities and provide technical assistance. It is the latter portion of project funding that is managed by a consortium of companies led by Carl Bro Inc. The project is executed by Education Ministry and managed on a daily basis by the Project Coordination Center.

The project is made up of three interrelated components which aim to support:

· reform at the central level, including improved access, retention, and quality through enhanced national standards for teaching and learning;

· decentralized implementation of the reform in 12 disadvantaged rural provinces;

· non-formal education in five disadvantaged urban and suburban areas, and in areas of immigration.

 The agreement for a project aimed at improving vocational education and training in Turkey was signed by the EU on January 20, 2000. It was also signed by the Education Ministry, Treasury Undersecretariat, and the Vocational and Small-Scale Industry Improvement Foundation (MEKSA) in July 2000.

Total cost of the project: €51,000,000

EU contribution: €51,000,000

The aim of the project is to promote competitiveness among Turkish entrepreneurs and prepare them for the EU market by improving the conditions of vocational training in Turkey in line with the demands of the Turkish private sector.

v Project to Modernize Vocational and Technical Training Institutions

The agreement for the project was approved by the European Commission on July 25, 1997, and then signed by the EU, the Education Ministry and Treasury Undersecretariat.

Total cost of the project: €18,500,000

EU contribution: €14,000,000

Turkish government contribution: €4,500,000

  The aim of the project is to improve the conditions of vocational and technical training and increase its efficiency, improve teachers' qualifications, and strengthen the capacities of vocational and technical training institutions. 

Below are some considerations about the current status of the education-teaching services listed in the education section of the Annual Program for 2006 from the ninth Five-Year Development Plan for 2006-12.

The enrollment rate in the 2006-07 school year in preschool education (for age 4-5) reached 25% (gross) and 22.4% (net), in primary education 96.3% (gross) and 90.1% (net), and in secondary education 86.6% (gross) and 56.6% (net).

Some 9,900 (permanent) and 4,900 (contractual) teachers were appointed in February 2007 in order to meet teacher requirements in primary and secondary education.

In the 2006-07 school year, over 694,000 students from some 27,800 schools were transported to 6,400 center schools in 81 cities and thus, about 6.57% of the primary education students in this school year benefited from bused education. In addition, regulations implementing changes to the regulation of bused education went into effect.

In relation to restructuring lower secondary school education with a focus on vocational and technical education, and reorganizing the transition to higher education, Law No. 4702 went into effect to suggest modifications to Higher Education Law No. 2547, Apprenticeship and Vocational Education Law No. 3308, Eight-Year Mandatory Education Law No. 4306 and Education Ministry Organization Law No. 3797.

As part of computer-assisted education, efforts have been made to spread the use of computers. In the 2006-07 school year, the number of computers reached over 547,000 and more than 23,000 information technology classrooms have been installed in secondary schools.

· At the end of 2006, the following have been built: 186 kindergartens for nearly 15,000 students; 810 primary schools with some 10,900 classes for over 325,000 students; six regional boarding primary education schools (YIBOs) with 79 classes for some 2,400 students; four boarding primary education schools (PIOs) with 55 classes for 1,650 students; some 19,200 classes for nearly 576,000 students; some 7,500 classes for over 224,000 students added to 856 present schools; 44 apartments for teachers, 23 gymnasiums, 29 multipurpose halls, and 29 lodgings for 9,600 students; 61 schools (general secondary) with 1,200 classes for 36,000 students; 20 dormitories for some 4,300 students; six buildings with 92 apartments for teachers; four guidance research centers, three auditoriums, four gymnasiums, and 20 vocational education schools with 198 classes for nearly 6,000 students; seven workshop, two gymnasiums, two application hotels, and nine public education centers with 194 classes for 2,820 students; and two apprenticeship education centers with 16 classes for 480 students.

The above figures given in the program for 2004 increase qualitatively and quantitatively depending on the changing and/or developing conditions, because the services of the Education Ministry are a process. Evaluation of the current status of the education activities that have been realized and planned in education-teaching areas is based on the annual objective education statistics.

In the 2006-07 school year:

Some 19.4 million students were educated and nearly 680,000 teachers were employed in over 56,000 public and private education institutions. A total of 81.2% of the schools, 76.7% of the students and 88.3% of the teachers were included in the formal education system. A total of 18.8% of the schools, 23.3% of the students and 11.7% of the teachers were included in the non-formal education system.

In formal education overall, 7% of the schools are in pre-primary, 75.7% in primary and 17.3% in secondary education; 4.3% of the students are in pre-primary, 72.9% in primary and 22.8% are in secondary education; and 1.7% of the teachers are in pre-primary, 67.1% in primary and 31.2% in secondary education.

SOURCE: Education Ministry's Strategy Development Department

SOURCE: Education Ministry's Strategy Development Department

3. FORMAL EDUCATION

3.1. PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION

Services related to pre-primary education are offered by nurseries, kindergartens, practical classes opened first and foremost by the Education Ministry and by daycare centers, nursery schools, daycare houses, childcare houses and childcare institutions opened by various ministries and institutions for care or education purposes based on the provisions of 10 laws, two statutes and 10 regulations.

In the 2006-07 school year, nearly 641,000 children are being educated and nearly 25,000 teachers are being employed in some 20,700 pre-primary education institutions.

SOURCE: Education Ministry's Strategy Development Department

3.2. PRIMARY EDUCATION

Primary education covers education and teaching services for children age 6-14. Primary education is mandatory for all citizens, whether boys and girls, and is free of charge in public institutions.

In the 2006-07 school year, over 10.8 million students are being educated and nearly 403,000 teachers are being employed in some 34,700 schools.