EDUCATION
AND SCIENCE

The Turkish National Education System
Educational Institutions
Higher Education
Science and Research

The Turkish National Education System

In Turkey education is performed under the supervision and control of the state. According to Article 42 of the Cons- titution of the Republic of Turkey, everyone has the right to receive education. Individuals are educated by orienting them to various programs and schools throughout their education, depending on their interests and capabilities. It is essential that the educational system should realize this orientation.

The objective of education, according Basic Law No. 1739 for National Education, is to educate individuals:

- Who adopt the values of the Turkish nation,

- Who know the duties and responsibilities to their country and have made them a part of their behavior,

- Who can produce knowledge, can utilize the knowledge and technology produced, and

- Who are democratic citizens and respect human rights.

Furthermore, the objective of the National Education System also includes preparing them for the future and providing for them to acquire a profession that will contribute to the happiness of themselves and the society.

From the first years of the Republic up until the present, great increases were obtained in the number of schools, students and teachers, and activities aimed at educating qua-lified manpower were made and a vast group of people were educated. The government programs and development plans also place great importance on education because education is accepted as the most important component for economic, technological and social developments in Turkey. As a matter of fact, education is included as the sector with the highest priority in the Seventh Five Year Development Plan for 1996-2000.