Türkiye Scholarships is a publicly funded scholarship program, which can be deemed as the equivalent of government-sponsored scholarships in the U.S., UK, and Australia. Systematic grants provided by Turkey’s publicly funded scholarships to international students dates back to 1992. Although a limited number of international students were able to receive scholarships due to bilateral agreements, the first initiative to have a set strategy and program was the Grand Student Project of 1992.

More concrete steps began to be taken with the efficient implementation of the scholarship program, which began to expand from Turkic republics to other regions. With the establishment of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) in 2010 and the structure that the scholarship program reached, competition with other contemporary initiatives became inevitable.

The first of these steps was to restructure all higher education scholarships under the name of “Türkiye Scholarships” in 2012. As part of Turkey’s changing foreign policy vision, a multidimensional beneficiary student policy was put into effect. Online applications were implemented, promotion campaigns were realized and the extent of the scholarship was expanded to attract more inclusive and qualified masses. Within the scope of this policy, scholarships were extended towards related communities in Central Asia and the Balkans, and Middle Eastern countries with strong religious and cultural ties. Turkey also began to focus on South America and Africa as a consequence of the developing relations with the two continents. While only 10% of the annual beneficiary students were from Africa before 2012, this figure now stands at more than 25%.

For this kind of program to transform into a utility that would support long-term policies, it is important to make it a brand in Turkey and abroad. In this respect, it could be asserted that Türkiye Scholarships is accepted by respondent institutions to a certain extent. However, time is needed for public institutions to truly adopt this program with its vision and strategy. When evaluated thoroughly, it can be observed that the scholarship program requires development and more recognition within the domestic Turkish polity. In order to address this issue, promoting the program and its achievements domestically is a must.

As part of Turkey’s changing foreign policy vision, a multidimensional beneficiary student policy was put into effect. Online applications were implemented, promotion campaigns were realized and the extent of the scholarship was expanded to attract more inclusive and qualified masses

Meanwhile, it can be stated that the program is recognized and closely observed by the official authorities of countries. In the past 6 years, strides were made in terms of becoming a brand through institutional identity. This was achieved by the increased program applications and amenities provided to students. The most important step of becoming a brand will be through the alumni of Türkiye Scholarships. 1000 alumni of Turkish universities who graduated with provided scholarships gathered at the “Turkey Again: Alumni Meeting” event held on 25 November, 2017, in Istanbul. This was an important promotional activity that showcased the amenities of Turkey in terms of scholarship and education. Alumni meetings across 30 different countries are expected to carry great weight as they are Turkey’s most profound initiative in the field of public diplomacy.

The most essential vision of Türkiye Scholarships is to provide scholarships to international students in order for these students to fulfill the human resources need of their home countries. It is observed that beneficiary students who graduated from Turkish educational institutions are also employed by Turkey’s public and private enterprises abroad. These very students have been employed by Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Maarif Foundation, Turkish Airlines, and Anadolu Agency, as an achievement for the country. The alumni make important contributions to both their own countries and Turkey by working for Turkish firms abroad.

Along with the brand of Türkiye Scholarships, reconnecting with international alumni and efforts to strengthen their ties with Turkey have taken place in recent years with the initiatives of YTB. Alumni attempts to form associations along with meetings that allow them to come together with Turkish institutions will create a new dimension in Turkey’s soft power.

Türkiye Scholarships have also created significant mobility within civil society. Cooperation with NGOs were achieved to provide academic support along with cultural and social guidance for beneficiary students and this led to the establishment of associations related to international students in many cities. While these associations will increase student awareness in many cities, they will also allow for international students to learn about Turkey, Turkish society, and culture, along with strengthening their ties with the country.

The most essential vision of Türkiye Scholarships is to provide scholarships to international students in order for these students to fulfill the human resources need of their home countries.

In terms of quantity, it can be observed that there is an increasing indirect interest towards Turkey via the scholarship program. There has also been in an increase in the number of international students studying in Turkey with their own means. Those who applied but were unable to benefit from the scholarships, approximately 100,000, still choose Turkey as a study location and usually come with the financial support of their families.

The academic benefits of attracting the greatest minds to Turkish universities through Türkiye Scholarships is one of the most prominent aspects of the program. These students enrich Turkey’s academic accumulation in terms of university environment, regional studies, international publications, comparative thesis, or theses on their own countries. Moreover, academics also become more experienced in different regions and countries through their joint researches with international students. It is now possible for visiting academics within the scope of Türkiye Scholarships to conduct joint research in various fields with Turkish academics. Articles written by these students are also published in international publications. There is no doubt that their academic endeavors and efforts lead to becoming more visible internationally.

In addition to this, Türkiye Scholarships also leads to the opening and prevalence of Turkish language centers at Turkish universities. Turkish language centers, which were present only in several universities have now opened at almost every university, and it is obligatory for universities with registered Türkiye Scholarships students to have their own Turkish language centers. Now, Turkish universities are first opening their own Turkish language centers before applying to be part of the Türkiye Scholarships scheme.

Türkiye Scholarships will eventually become the most important diplomacy tool of Turkey to widen its scope of influence and soft power in countries that it attracts students from.

Today, international student mobility across the world is closely related to the parameters of economic development, cultural interaction, production, and the transfer of information and public diplomacy. Many countries have been developing national policies in the context of political-cultural interaction and economic return. Developed countries are coordinating their planning policies for scholarship and self-funded students, and consider international students as a major instrument of public diplomacy.

Turkey has also recently began to show growing interest in the subject of international students. Turkey’s endeavors and support in this regard have concurred with the strained global political context due to the Trump effect, Brexit, and the rise of the far-right in Europe. Current political uncertainties and the rise in anti-immigrant discourses, particularly in the West, spur international students to look for new alternatives. The present conjuncture also affects the choices of international students to a great extent and presents Turkey significant opportunities to become the center of attraction for international students.

Current political uncertainties and the rise in anti-immigrant discourses, particularly in the West, spur international students to look for new alternatives.

When viewed from a broader perspective, it can be seen that international student mobility is open to larger masses now, which means that those who were unable to access international higher education in the past can now take part in this mobility. Among countries gaining or aspiring to gain economic strength, there is a rapidly growing demand in studying abroad. This mobility is obvious especially in countries such as China, India, and South Korea.

In countries that are prominent in the competition for drawing international students, the importance of the subject has been well known for a while and long-term strategic policies regarding this matter have been developed. It is believed that international students create added value in the countries they study in, including areas in academia and science, economic development, and the creation of a multi-cultural environment. More specifically, international students make great contributions in terms of skilled workforce, institutional improvement, inter-societal understanding, and diplomatic prestige.

Efforts exerted on international students also present the background and values of the host country to other societies. Therefore, multifaceted activities are carried out in the field of public diplomacy with the participation of state institutions and organizations, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.

International student mobility is open to larger masses now, which means that those who were unable to access international higher education in the past can now take part in this mobility.

According to data presented by UNESCO, countries such as China, India, Germany, and South Korea are the biggest sources of international students. Looking at the topic generally, 52 percent of international students come from Asia, 25 percent from Europe, 8 percent from Africa, and 5 percent from Latin America. Currently, around 5 million students are studying outside of their home countries and this number is expected to exceed 8 million in a few years. Judging from the benefits that international students bring, it is likely that competition in this field will increase.

Specifically considering the economic dimension of the subject, the export of educational services is estimated to be a 60 to 100 billion dollar industry worldwide. As can be seen from the table presented below, in the U.S., which is home to 20% of international students, exporting educational services has contributed 39.4 billion dollars to the economy in 2016, and for Australia, educational services have contributed 28 billion Austrian dollars (roughly 20 billion U.S. dollars), as an export item. Including services such as consultation, travel, housing, guest expenditures etc., along with educational services, it can clearly be seen that this is a considerably important economic sector.

The education spending of international students has made international higher education the 3rd biggest export item in Australia. The contributions of immigrants and especially international students to innovation in the U.S. can also be seen to be at a non-negligible level if judged from the number of patents registered. Again, Canada has introduced regulations to its migration policy that make it possible for international students to stay after graduation, increasing their academic and economic contributions to the country.

International education projects in Turkey

Although Turkey is a country that has considerable experience in the field of international education, it can be seen that globally competitive and systematic policies and policies have only recently been implemented. Turkey receives international students mostly via scholarships and it can be observed that since the 1950s there has been an increase in scholarship opportunities for international students in Turkey via international agreements. The “Grand Student Project,” which began in 1992 is an example pf a systematic program that made it possible for many students, especially from Turkic countries, to study in Turkish universities via scholarships.

Since the 2000s, many important steps have been taken in the field of international education in Turkey. A couple of these are: The Turkish Council of Higher Education’s (CoHE) decision to allow flexibility in the admission and fee policies for international students in 2010, the decision of the Ministry of Economy in 2012 to provide incentives for universities participating in international education expos, the inclusion of international education projects in the 10th development plan in 2013, and in the same year, the launch of the Study in Turkey portal, along with the implementation of new regulations regarding visa and residency permits, health insurance, and work permits.

Currently, over 7 million students are receiving education in Turkish universities. Around 1.6 percent of them are international students (more specifically, the number of total students in higher education in Turkey is 7,560,371 and 125,138 of them are international students). Among OECD countries, this ratio is on average 6 percent. Needless to say, there are significant differences between countries. For example, while in the U.K. this ratio is 21 percent and in Australia 20 percent, in Germany it stands at 8 percent and in the U.S. around 5 percent.

Currently, over 7 million students are receiving education in Turkish universities. Around 1.6 percent of them are international students (more specifically, the number of total students in higher education in Turkey is 7,560,371 and 125,138 of them are international students).

With statistics provided by the CoHE, the graph below depicts the annual changes in the number of international students in Turkey.

Turkey’s goal for the number of international students in Turkey for 2022 is 200,000. This number is actually well below Turkey’s potential. In the Global Trends in International Student Recruitment Report published in 2017, according to a narrow study conducted among 1,623 students, Turkey ranked 11th among the first 25 countries in international student preference. This is important as it reflects the fact that policies pursued by the government are on the track of achieving their objectives, and if these policies are maintained or accelerated in this direction, Turkey really does have the potential to become the hub of international students in the near future.

The performances of the Occupational and Technical High Schools have been evaluated by the Occupational and Technical Education General Administration, which is part of the Ministry of Education.

In the preface of the report that was made public, the Minister of Education Ziya Selcuk emphasized the importance of “the necessity of creating our educational ecosystem in processes based on data and participation, in order to determine the areas that are required to be improved in Occupational and Technical Education, examine them with adequate research and understand them better, and then develop applicable and sustainable solutions with the involvement of stakeholders.”

The project was conducted by the deputy Education Minister Mahmut Ozer, and the report was prepared by Prof. Kemal Varim Numanoglu, head of the Occupational and Technical Administration, together with Dr. H. Eren Suna, Dr. Hande Tanberkan, Emine Eroglu, Umare Altun, Yusuf Cidem, Asli Demircan, Emel Bakirkaya and Aysim Secen.

2,489 Occupational and Technical Anatolian High Schools, 633 multi-program Anatolian High Schools and 372 Occupational Education Centers were evaluated with an external quality assessment.

A project is intended to bring the functional potentials of Occupational and Technical Schools and Institutions to the highest level in order to use public sources efficiently and productively, to improve the quality and productivity of educational services, and to highlight the success of schools and institutions. With this, according to the ministry, it will be possible to extend the number of schools that provide quality services with limited public resources.

The report states that “for those students, who are taking occupational education, to be able to take part in the global economy and to be part of the production process, are some of the most effective solutions to the problems of employment gaps and to find the ‘required’ human sources to various industries.”

The final goal of this project is to train qualified work forces who are productive, enterprising, innovative, and have occupational ‘values’ and work ‘ethics,’ and which add value to the economy.

*Written by Selahattin Emre Celebi 

A protocol called ‘Cooperation on Occupational Education’ has been signed by the Minister of Education, Ziya Selcuk, and Minister of Justice, Abdulhamit Gul, which intends to re-integrate those who have been convicted and those on probation into society.

During the signing ceremony, Abdulhamit Gul highlighted the importance of education by stating that education will shape the future of societies. He added, “An effective education requires continuity nd the Justice Ministry has continued the education of convicts, those arrested and those on probation, in order to re-integrate these people into society with a profession.”

In his statement during the ceremony he further added: “As the result of our government’s approach, the right of education will not be prevented in any situation.”

35 thousand convicts have been given the right to education in prisons up to now. “Not only distant education in high school and university level, but there are also convicts who are continuing with their masters and PhD education,” Gul added.

The Justice Minister also added that there are 50,000 convicts and detainees who are currently working with insurance rights under the structure of the Job Offices Administration.

Gul, who has been the Minister of Justice since 2017, emphasized the humanitarian approach of the protocol by stating, “If you cannot provide an education that human honor entails, if you cannot protect their human rights, if you cannot provide healthy standards for people in prison, then there is a problem there.”

Ziya Selcuk also expressed that the protection of the right of education is a basic human right that needs to be ensured without any type of discrimination.

Selcuk further stressed that being a prisoner does not mean that these individuals can be stripped from the right to education. “In this regard, to provide all kinds of education to the convicts and detainees in penal institutions and those on probation and old convicts who are redirected by ‘Protection Councils,’ that allow them to attend both formal and informal education activities is very important.”

*Written by Selahattin Emre Celebi.

The Ministry of National Education organized a consultation meeting with the sector representatives for the design and manufacturing of wooden toys, which are highly needed and imported in large proportions by Turkey. Turkey’s National Education Minister Ziya Selcuk stated that they aim to maintain wooden toy manufacturing with the leading representatives of the sector and contribute to domestic production in this line of work. 

Along with the sector representatives, the Deputy Minister of Education Mahmut Ozer, Vocational and Technical Education Director-General Kemal Numanoglu, department heads and relevant experts attended the meeting chaired by Selcuk.

Anadolu Agency reported that the decisions taken in the meeting include co-organizing a curriculum for wooden toy manufacturing education, sharing the sector representatives’ experience with pilot schools, enabling the sector’s support to the on-the-job training of teachers who are to provide education on the subject and to the organization of student training in real production spaces.

During the meeting, the sector representatives demanded the Ministry to conduct informing and training activities regarding the developments in the field. Besides, it was decided to design wooden toys and other materials that support children’s development in pre-school education and to found R&D units for the use of these materials in skills workshops planned to be established in schools.

Supporting domestic production

National Education Minister Selcuk stated that they attach great importance to the project on wooden toy manufacturing, adding that they chose a number of schools enjoying strong infrastructure in various provinces of Turkey for the newly initiated pilot project.

Selcuk pointed out that the pilot schools chosen for the project include Altındag Siteler Vocational Training Center in Ankara, Bayrampasa Inonu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Istanbul, Inegol Haiı Sevim Yildiz Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Bursa and Dursunbey Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Balikesir. He also emphasized that they will increase the number of pilot schools according to the sector’s position in the relevant provinces.

Selcuk went on to say that the domestic production of wooden toys is quite low, adding:

“We wish to maintain this process with the sector representatives and contribute to domestic production in this field. In doing so, we will be able to develop joint projects and support each other as well as raising and training qualified human resources needed by the sector on the level of high school education. Thanks to that, we will support our own market with domestic production and strengthen our position in the global market.”

Imported toys valued at more than $3 billion

Throughout the meeting, it was underscored that wooden toy manufacturing is a major market in the world and countries are in a cutthroat competition in this field. It was also noted that the toys imported by Turkey for the past five years cost more than $3 billion. Considering these figures, the National Education Ministry’s support to the manufacturing activities by means of training and cooperation with the sector engaging in domestic toy production are important steps towards increasing Turkey’s competitive power.

Previously, the National Education Ministry started the first pilot program for the manufacturing of wooden toys in vocational and technical schools, which engage in production in the fields of furniture and decoration.

After the vision document titled “Education in 2023” was shared by Minister of National Education, Ziya Selcuk, education has once again become a central topic on the Turkish political and public agenda. The document sets many goals for the year 2023 regarding education in all its levels and forms and offers a vision in subjects such as fundamental policies, administration of education, assessment and evaluation, improvement of public resources, guidance and counseling services, foreign language teaching.

While in his speech Ziya Selcuk tried to subdue expectations by saying “Do not expect me to pull a rabbit out of a hat,” the vision document received remarkable attention. Even though the field of education in Turkey has undergone many important changes and shifts, it has not yet reached a desirable point with regards to its qualitative aspects. The position of the minister of national education changing constantly has led to instability in the education system. The output of our education system still fails to produce results that are internationally competitive. These reasons have resulted in people treating the vision document as a much-awaited prescription to address these chronic problems.

As someone who has worked in the field of education for many years and who follows developments in the field closely, I can say that the matters contained in the vision document are not entirely new and they have long been voiced on many platforms. But what makes the vision document important is that it has turned the goals toward the solution of these subjects that have seen many discussions and studies over the years into a concrete text and strategical plan. Moreover, this document is important in bringing stability to the educational system and providing a roadmap regardless of individual actors.

Turkey’s 2023 Education Vision document is important as it has transformed debates on education in Turkey over many years into a concrete text and strategic plan.

Heavy emphasis on the human aspect and morals

The philosophical background that serves as the basis for the 2023 education vision is the subject of the first section of the vision document. The document emphasizes how education is not a mechanical system but a human one and the human aspect needs to be the central focal point of it. The main mission of the 2023 education vision is stated as preparing children for the world of tomorrow in a way that is ours but still is different from us, with a perspective that encompasses both meaning and matter. Moreover, the document emphasizes the necessity of imparting a moral character that seeks the benefit of humanity as a whole to the individuals who grow up within the envisioned educational system. To accomplish this, as Ziya Selcuk has expressed that all parts of the education system, including schools, curricula, administrators, teachers, and students, need to be parts of a process of transition in a synchronized way. In this manner, the process will evolve into a campaign to transform education.

The “betterment” of the education system not with huge and sudden reforms but with small and effective touches is the most prominent theme of the vision document. While everyone is favorable to the talk of reforming the education system, it is obvious that the education system is currently suffering from an overload of reforms. Thus, the most suitable way to reach the desired goals is to avoid tiring the system with huge reforms and seek improvements through targeted small changes. Obviously if these small changes are implemented in a healthy approach, gradually the sum of their effects will constitute a reform.

In the 2023 education vision document, the discourse on creating policies based on data is heavily emphasized. Basing every implemented policy on data will ensure that the policies proceed on a healthy ground and heavily contribute to achieving the intended goals. The fact that the preparation for the policies targeted in the vision document will consist of three steps, first small and medium level pilot studies and then nation-wide implementation, will allow careful examination and evaluation of each policy.

The 2023 Vision Document emphasizes how education is not a mechanical system but a human one, and that this aspect must be the central focal point of education.

Differences in opportunity

The vision document states that each school will be analyzed and through the analysis a data-driven development model will be created for every school. The schools in Turkey can greatly differ from each other in terms of geography and sociology, physical infrastructure, technological equipment, teacher, student and parent profiles, and these differences can have large effects on the quality of the education given in schools. Thus, evaluating the needs of each school individually, as if taking an x-ray and then creating a suitable development model specific to it, will reduce the differences in opportunities between schools. These gaps of differences between schools are the main reason of the demand for centralized exams in Turkey. Addressing these gaps of opportunity between schools will subsequently decrease the demand for these exams and reduce the pressure on students. Another important goal set in the vision document is the reduction of schools that admit students via exams. When too many schools admit students this way, they are associated with the “points” a student is required to score to be admitted, creating a hierarchy between schools. Due to this reason, the reduction of schools that admit students via exams as well as improvement of local schools are two critical goals included in the vision document. Also, the goal to review the academic and social development of children from early childhood to high school graduation through creating a unique e-portfolio for each student is another positive approach included in the document.

However, the document does not express what kind of mechanism will be created by the ministry to address students lacking behind in their academic and social developments.

Teachers are undoubtedly the most important aspect in determining the quality of educational systems. The “Improvement and administration of public resources” title of the vision document contains goals regarding the training and career developments of teachers and administrators. But in this context, we can say that teachers merit their own title in the vision document due to their critical role within the educational system.

The most striking goal in the document regarding teachers is that the adoption of a new “Occupational Law For Teachers” is planned. Along with this, some other goals included in the document are the creation of career steps for teachers and administrators that allow vertical and horizontal changes in position, incentivizing occupational expertise programs on the graduate level, creation of implementation-heavy models in the training and education of new teachers, creation of new incentive mechanisms for successful teachers such as sending them abroad, and reduction in the work period of contract teachers. Another matter that is often discussed in the public but is not well understood due to its ambiguity is the removal of the pedagogical formation process. The vision document does not state that the formation process will be removed but that graduate level occupational expertise programs for teachers will be opened. But for this program it is stated that priority will be given to teachers who are currently employed by the Ministry of National Education. However, the formation process previously meant a process that was targeted at people who did not graduate from a faculty of education seeking to become teachers. In this situation it is as of now unclear how this process will be conducted for those who have not graduated from a faculty of education. Announcements by the ministry state that the formation process will be conducted based on a new model designated by the ministry. Thus, the details of this subject needs to be elaborated on as soon as possible.

The vision document that sets goals for the educational system deals with matters that are too extensive and detailed to be resolved within three years. It should not be forgotten that each goal requires meticulous and long processes such as budget planning, infrastructure building, training and education of required public resources, administrative evaluation and data-based analysis of the stages of preparation and pilot studies. For example, one of the goals that received the most attention is the decision to include the age of 5 in the period of mandatory education. Within three years the quality of preschool education can be improved or it can be made more common. But making it mandatory will require extensive legal work, infrastructure planning, new teachers and a significant amount of funds. Similarly, goals such as the reduction of lecture hours and types, creation of design workshops in schools should also be planned to be implemented over a much longer time period. Thus, it will be for the best to evaluate and plan these goals in a more realistic basis.

The 2023 Education Vision document has placed teachers at the forefront of reform in the education system and has promised the adoption of a new “Occupational Law for Teachers.”

From goals to results

The 2023 education vision document can be considered a step in the positive direction for the improvement of the education system due to the subjects it includes and the goals it sets. However, to turn these goals into concrete policies requires well thought-out action plans, qualified people who will implement these plans and significant institutional capacity. In this process universities, educational researchers and non-governmental organization will have important responsibilities. Supporting the ministry through conducting studies and the ministry undertaking this process with an attitude that encourages participation is critical in achieving the goals set. Along with this, in this period where changes in the education system are being planned, it’s better to aim for steady improvements rather than attempt miracles.

Turkey’s Ministry of National Education lately announced its 2023 Education Vision document that it has been drafting for a while. The Vision document contains the primary objectives aimed to be reached by the end of 2023. The document begins with chapters titled education vision philosophy, guiding policies, school development models with contents and implementations that constitute the framework of the vision. The following 17 chapters are on the objectives that intend to be reached.

The first five chapters of these 17 are about education management, including creating a data-based management system, assessment and evaluation, developing human resources, funding of schools, and an audit system. The following five chapters are allocated to the leading challenges in our education system, related to learning and improvement, such as counselling services, education for special abilities, foreign language education, digital content, and skill-aided transformation.

The remaining chapters cover the targets determined for various educational levels, including pre-school education and life-long learning. In these chapters, the objectives are diversified beginning from secondary education as separate sub-chapters cover Science High Schools, Social Sciences High Schools, Vocational High Schools, and Imam Hatip High Schools.

Abstract expressions need concrete and robust route maps

Within the 17 chapters, the Vision document sets out a total of 44 targets for the education system. Varying numbers of secondary targets are also added in the scope of each primary target, which sums up to around 300 targets. The majority of these targets stated in the document comprise abstract expressions that frame policies such as they will “improved,” “enhanced,” or “supported,” whereas the remaining targets focus on creating new units or mechanisms, enhancing the present processes and documenting the quantitative developments in relevant fields. It’s highly likely that the Ministry will prioritize determining tangible steps and a route for the implementation of these abstract and generalized targets in the upcoming days. The 2023 Education Vision is quite a comprehensive reform package and it is pleasing that this package is expected to be put into practice step-by-step by encompassing preliminary phases, such as design and pilot implementations.

Devising an education system with a focus on human

It is underlined in the introduction and overall tone of the Vision document that the educational philosophy the ministry seeks to rely on affirms societal beliefs and cultural values, instills self-confidence and keep pace with global developments instead of a uniformist and positivist mentality that disregards societal values. It opposes the common global imposition that reduces education to a set of production and consumption relations, and adopts harmony between the mind and soul as its main approach. Education programs to be developed with this integrative and two-dimensional approach will surely contribute to the future of our education system.

As viewed from the perspective of management science, it is seen that vision documents generally tend to prefer handling processes encompassing a minimum of 10 years, since visions consist of long-term objectives that require comprehensive institutional changes. The Ministry’s vision text might have been formed as a shorter text and its action plans might have been presented in a separate file. With its current version, the vision text contains some unnecessary objectives and details. The redundancy of the objectives in the document causes the risk of posing some challenges in practice, which might lead to social dissatisfaction despite the progresses covered.

Effective school management

Upon examination of the prominent subjects regarding the management of education included in the vision document, we can see that it foresees an approach to management that is heavily based on data, gives more emphasis to schools as administrative units and intends to create a unique development model for each school, which will also be employed in its examination and evaluation. With this new system of examination and evaluation, the progress of education in schools is planned to be monitored in schools and feedback is planned to be given accordingly. Via this method, one of the bigger problems of the education system, the inequalities between schools, is intended to be addressed.

One of the important policies that comes with putting more emphasis on the schools’ role as an administrative units is the expansion of school administrator’s authorities, responsibilities, capabilities and employee rights. With regard to school administrations, we can foresee that these policies will result in more active and efficient processes. But, we can see that the document is missing revisions essential to a school-centered administrative approach that will be required in the Ministry’s central organization and the provincial organization.

In an approach to education that is human-oriented and responsive to the interests, skills and dispositions of its students, guidance and counseling is extremely important

Incrementally making pre-school education mandatory can be seen to be the most important goal regarding the stages of education. While some parts of the document suggest that changing the 4+4+4 system may be on the table, no concrete goals are set on this subject, and the document only states that primary education will be reviewed according to the stages of development. Guidance and counseling services are extremely important both in the creation of an approach to education that is people-oriented and responsive to the interests, skills and dispositions of its students and also in ensuring that the process of advancing from one stage to another is done in a healthy manner. It can be seen that the parts of the vision document regarding guidance and counseling contain goals towards the creation of a system based on this understanding.

While it’s good news that the pedagogical formation training is removed, the maintenance of the hourly paid teachers is worrisome

New training and education models for new teachers

We can see through the document that comprehensive actions regarding the education and training of new teachers are being considered and planned. Within this context, new training and education models for new teachers that put more emphasis on implementation are being planned to first be tested via pilot studies conducted in cooperation with education faculties and then possibly widely implemented. Some important articles of the document regarding teachers are the adoption of a new legal framework for teachers, career development programs for currently working teachers, incentivizing post-graduate studies for teachers, reduction of the contracted work period, increasing per-course pay for hourly paid teachers, and the creation of a new mechanism that will allow the ministry to directly provide the pedagogical training (one year teaching certificate training provided by universities for graduates with non-education degrees).  The articles regarding the education and training of teachers and their employee rights will have positive effects for the occupation and its overall quality.

Regulations in line with the vision are needed in subjects such as the structure of education faculties and the selection of candidates

However, regulations in line with the vision are needed in subjects such as the structure of education faculties, the selection of candidates that will start being employed as teachers and the replacement of teachers who are found to be unsuitable for the occupation in the process. While it is an important step in the positive direction that the period of contracted work is being reduced, the maintenance of hourly paid teachers, while improving their payments, shows that this subject will continue to be one of the problems that draw widespread public attention. The Ministry should stop the practice of employing hourly paid teachers.

The decision to directly implement the pedagogical formation process via the Ministry of National Education will make the heavy reform workload of the Ministry even heavier – it can be considered as a move that will create a new work item for the Ministry.

Envisaging a model for curricula

The 2023 Education Vision document envisages a model for curricula that are universal in content yet presented via an implementation based on local culture. The document sets many goals regarding education and training processes as well as curricula. Some example goals included in this framework are the reduction of types of courses as well as total lecture time, the development of a curriculum that is simpler, more dynamic and more modular, the adoption of a new scheduling structure that will allocate more time to non-academic classes in the afternoons especially for primary education, and allocating more time to recesses. The goals described in the document reflect all the expertise accumulated in the field through studies.

It can be seen that the 2023 Education Vision is a development plan that is well aware of the existing problems of the field. The goals that are set as solutions to well-identified problems have obviously raised excitement and curiosity.

It can be seen that the 2023 Education Vision is a development plan that is well aware of the existing problems of the field. The goals that are set as solutions to well-identified problems have obviously raised excitement and curiosity. However, the methods the Ministry will choose to follow regarding its organization and process management remain a subject of curiosity. Some goals of the Ministry, especially goals such as providing support for families, improving the guesthouses, preparing infrastructure for social, cultural and sports events and the pedagogical formation decision will likely be the cause a workload that is taxing in its management and sustainability aspects. While the subject of language education is an important focal point of attention, putting English into its center provides a limitation. The languages of countries that are expected to be prominent and important in the world of the future should also be a part of this planning.

This article has first appeared in Turkish on www.ilke.org.tr

The Ministry of National Education declared the eagerly anticipated ‘2023 Vision Document’ on 23 October 2018. Causing hope and disappointment at the same time, it ignited new debates in the field of education. It is true that, with its extensive and vague scope, education has never been an easy subject to reach a consensus on easily. It would be no more than an unrealistic dream to expect such a thing to happen. Yet, keeping this reality in mind, I have some words to say on behalf of teachers. There are many arguments to open, I am going to delve into only a couple of strong and weak points, though.

When I read the document through, it gives the impression that it’s a summary of idealistic thoughts about the education in Turkey. Well, for vision statements in general, they are compiled of high level aspirations, not bound to be down to earth. The whole document is a summary of what education should be like, not only in Turkey, but almost in any country in the world. Who could ever say that these are bad ideas? I review the document and it feels like ‘yeah, there could be no objection to many promises the vision document makes but what about the distance between vision and practicality?’ Is it helpful to leave the practicality of these ideas out of the vision document?

When it comes to foreign language teaching, the document does not again tell the practical aspect. There is hardly any information in the foreign language education chapter about the reforms that must be done in the pre-service education of foreign language teachers, and alternative ways of selecting and appointing them. Currently there are great disparities among the faculties of education across different universities, and specifically, among the foreign language education departments. Is it reasonable to build a revolutionary foreign language education system without doing revolutions at universities or public personnel selection examination or the teacher appointment interview, whose content is still vague?

Quality education cannot be built without providing quality pre-service education to foreign language teachers. In-service education is too late to acquire important skills required for foreign language itself and the teaching of it. In other words, while in-service training is indispensable, I believe that it is better to put much more effort and resources in the earlier stages of teacher education. The document should consider in its further revisions to state a more clear vision about the pre-service teaching of foreign language educators and the appointments of them.

Some of the central visions in the document are not novel but were already set as guiding principles for foreign language teachers. For example, the first subsidiary aim of the first main objective reads “foreign language education will be handled with a student-centered approach, using methodologies that suit the cognitive levels of students.” This vision is already a mission for foreign language educators. Especially since the curriculum reform of 2005, putting students at the center and teaching them according to their cognitive levels have been a primary mission for all teachers, let alone foreign language teachers. In other words, this vision seems like it has been blended with the very basic mission of teaching.

I’m not trying to say that the whole document is full of beyond reach ideals of re-written versions of missions. There are issues that have needed a complete make-over for a long time. The third subsidiary aim of the first main objective, which is to “provide different language teaching programs to different kinds and levels of schools,” offers a vision about what has been long necessary in the field. Implementing a single foreign language program and not taking care of the academic profile of students have always been problematic. That is to say, today in different schools across Turkey, no matter what student profile it addresses, the same program and material is used. Moreover, using the same book is compulsory, which forces teachers into the situation of giving students less than what they can learn. If we have different kinds of secondary and high schools, how on earth can we use the same teaching material? So, the third subsidiary aim under the first main objective endows fruitful arguments, more than idealistic thoughts.

Another strong point of the vision document is the development of digital content platforms by bringing national and international institutions together. It is a fact that foreign language learning materials, especially the high quality ones, are still costly and can hardly be afforded by many middle and lower class families. It is of great importance to provide free quality contents to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Addressing the generation that was born into a digital era is an approachable vision.

In fact, there is already a digital platform named Education and Information Technologies Network (EBA), which has a substantial amount of free sources and materials. Nonetheless, many children from lower socio-economic classes, who must be the primary target of free materials, don’t have internet access at home, and the public schools don’t have the sources to build ICT laboratories or provide free Wi-Fi connections for student use. The Fatih Project hasn’t visited many schools yet. In short, the visions about digital content are imperative, yet given the varying physical capacity of schools and inequality of household income, this has the potential to create further inequalities between students.

The 2023 Vision Document has really created a vision. However, I do strongly assert that we, as educators and administrators, should make a priority list and fulfill the responsibilities like providing each and every child with quality education.

Reforming the education system has remained an important item on the AK Party’s agenda since coming to power in 2002. It’s also remained a problem that the government is still trying to overcome.

Various changes have been made in the system, trying to ensure an adaptive and inclusive system for all – including the 3+ million refugees that Turkey hosts.

On 23 October Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke at the 2023 Education Vision program organized by the Ministry of National Education, in which the 2023 Education Vision report was published.

During his speech, the President firstly highlighted how important education has been for the AK Party and how the government has increased the education budget from 7,5 billion to 92 billion Turkish Liras.

“We’ve worked really hard to change the infrastructure of the education system and to get rid of the various prohibitions of the previous regimes.”

“When we first entered office, we had problems such as classrooms of 60-70 students and classrooms with no teachers. These days have gone.”

“Compulsory education has been increased to 12 years and this has been maintained through the 4+4+4 system.”

Emphasizing the importance of an educated population for the growth of the country, President Erdogan also highlighted that “obtaining a diploma is not the only aim. We’re working to encourage extra curricular activities for students.”

Referring to the failed July 15 coup attempt, President Erdogan underlined how FETO tried to manipulate the weakness of the education system in its plan to topple the government.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) is well known to have provide its own followers exam questions and answers to important exams including the higher education entrance.

Referring to the fact that the AK Party government are yet to obtain the results they want from the reforms made in education, Erdogan stated, “When you make mistakes in other parts of policy areas, you lose time and money. But with mistakes in education, you lose generations.”

2023 Education Vision

Highlighting the cultural importance attached to teachers, Erdogan stated, “Teachers play a very important role in our 2023 vision. New laws will be introduced in regards to the teaching profession.”

“We’re going to develop the standards of teachers to the level they deserve.”

While there are many infant schools in Turkey, sending children to pre-school education is not compulsory in Turkey. With the announcement made by Erdogan, it has become clear that the government is working to make this compulsory. This is arguably one of the biggest highlights of the education package, as parents (especially working parents) suffer greatly from having to send their children to private institutions.

“When we first established our party, we promised to increase the standards of 4 things: education, health, justice, safety. Thankfully, until today, we’ve accomplished a lot of achievements in these areas. I’m sure that we’re going to continue.”

“There is no city in Turkey today left with no university. There’s at least one in every city. This means that children that cannot afford to leave home for university can study in their home towns.”

“I’m sure that we’re going to reach our objectives year-by-year and by 2023 have an education system that suits our country.”

President Erdoğan attended the Inauguration Ceremony of the New Higher Education Academic Year at the Beştepe National Congress and Culture Center and discussed the nature and scope of upcoming educational reforms that would be set in motion.

During his speech, President Erdoğan discussed the current state of national education and the agenda for educational reform. With over 100,000 international students being hosted in Turkey, Turkey has become a favorite among students worldwide. International students are able to obtain education at prestigious Turkish universities with the scholarship program. Turkey Scholarships is a unique international program including university placements. The program provides above standard monthly stipends to beneficiaries, and includes housing, health insurance, tuition fee, Turkish language course and transportation costs. President Erdoğan noted that “Turkey has reached a capacity surpassing its borders.”

Highlighting the importance and need for technological development, President Erdoğan stated that Turkey should be among the global pioneers in the usage and development of digital technologies and that currently there are steps being taken to achieve this objective and that Turkey is duly committed to this pursuit. Underscoring the dependence of economic and social welfare on this development, President Erdoğan added that government support and aid will be provided to projects geared to advance competitiveness and productivity.

Speaking of progress in the career prospects for university students and graduates, President Erdoğan stated that career centers will be established in all universities and “From the onset of their first year in university, these centers will provide career guidance to students and work in close collaboration with the real sector.”

Referring to the new Human Resources Office established in the Presidential Complex, President Erdoğan stated that the “Human Resources Office will work closely to implement projects important for the future of university students. In this aspect, one of the first action plans that we will implement is to shift to a ‘talent management’ system”.

Underscoring the importance of educational reform, President Erdoğan said that: “It is vain to think that we can make great advancements if our universities and academicians have fallen to a state of stagnancy,” and noted: “If we want to build a safe future, we need to start from education.”

The president of the Council of Higher Education, Prof. Dr. Yekta Saraç also delivered a speech and stated that the most important concept for the Council of Higher Education, is “to facilitate change on a scientific basis, thus: to change”. Prof. Saraç noted that in order to stay abreast of the digital age, “there will be a transformation and focus on studies carried out by leading global universities and ‘open access’ will be introduced.”

The ILKE Association (İlim Kültür Eğitim Derneği) has designed a project called “The Future Turkey.” Within this project, the association intends to draw attention to reports on education, management, foreign policy, economics, and policies in regards to culture and society in Turkey.

Yesterday, the first of these series took place. “Education in the Future Turkey,” which was written by Yusuf Alpaydın, was presented in collaboration with ILKE and the Ministry of National Education (MoNE). Deputy minister Mustafa Saran attended the event and stated that “Education in the Future Turkey” report gives a detailed account on the current education system in Turkey.

According to Deputy Minister Mustafa Saran, Turkey’s biggest problem in education is a practical one. Saran stated, “Do you know where the problem is? In practice. We’ve got difficulty in determining the steps and reflexes that need to be shown to solve problems in practice. This is Turkey’s general discomfort.”

There was an 8-point document released with the report, which highlighted the objectives to be focused on in the future.

1. An understanding of education that empowers the individual.
2. Education programs that contain historical and critical thinking.
3. Schools that provide quality education.
4. Education leaders based on merit.
5. Academic staff that is continuously learning.
6. A local management understanding – allowing schools to further integrate with their local societies.
7. A fair assessment process and a system to encourage workers in education.
8. Education institutions with strong corporate communications.

The report not only focused on how to better the education experience for children in Turkey, but also focused on the needs of the educators themselves. By doing so, the MoNE, under the leadership of Ziya Selcuk, has illustrated that it will work closer with teachers, academics, and education staff in order to ensure that quality education is delivered all across the country.

When the Syrian Civil War is discussed, the discussion tends to evolve around the number of refugees, the constant attacks conducted by the Assad regime and trilateral discussions between Turkey, Iran and Russia, who are the three guarantor states seeking to find an end to the years long conflict in Syria.

One very important aspect of society that has continuously been ignored in these discussions has been education. While education has become an asset difficult to sustain in Syria, following Operation Euphrates Shield, funds from the Turkish Ministry of Education and some partner countries have been able to re-provide education to 156,324 students, repair 472 schools and ensure over 5000 teachers were back in their profession. In regards to this initiative, the Turkish government has spent 250 million Turkish Liras since 2016.

 

A report written by Ipek Coskun and published by the Foundation for Political and Social Research (SETA), seeks to answer gaps in the education debate in Syria. In the introduction, the report provides a briefing about the general situation of education in Syria prior to the civil war. By issuing a comparison between figures prior to the beginning of the war and the current situation, in the report, Coskun highlights that the aim is to reflect the situation Syria has found itself in since the beginning of the conflict, the affect that this situation has had on education and to provide a perspective as to how education in Syria can be developed in the future. While the report highlights the facilities provided in areas freed by Operation Euphrates Shield, it maintains that these projects should be replicated across Syria.

In conformity with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, Turkey exercised its ‘right of self-defense’ and launched Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24, 2016. In cooperation with the Free Syrian Army, OES cleared terrorism completely from the Kilis-Gaziantep corridor and secured the control of Azaz, Jarabulus, Al-Rai, and surrounding areas. In total, the military operation cleared 1,000 km from terrorist groups including the PKK/YPG and Daesh.

After concluding the operation on March 31, 2017, the Turkish government pursued many social projects in order to ensure that the lives of people living in the liberated areas were close to normal. The most important aspect in this regard was thus education. As graphed in the report, following the liberation of areas under OES, 156,324 students, 5,150 teachers and 472 schools were located. While the education in Jarabulus, Al-Bab, Kabassin and Bizaah are coordinated by the Gaziantep Directorate of National Education, education in Azaz, Al-Rai, Akhtarin, Mare’ and Souran are coordinated by the Kilis Directorate of National Education. In regards to the breakdown of these students, according to data obtained from the 2017-2018 statistics, there are currently 2,254 pre-school students, 120,653 in nursery, 27,340 in primary, 1,148 in Imam Hatip primary schools, 4,291 in high school and 638 students in Imam Hatip high schools. The report further break downs in detail the exact year group of these students.

Recommendations

While in the report Coskun details the facilities and education provided to Syrian students in liberated areas, in addition to this data, the conclusion section ‘Conclusion and Recommendations,’ is important to assess for the future of education in Syria.

Providing a comparison to the Bosnian War, in the conclusion it is clearly stated that as history shows us, if the conflict in Syria ends with the country breaking up into different sects, this will damage education the most. More, if one day a ceasefire and peace is secured in the country, there are two social factors that are going to struggle the most in the re-infrastructure of the failed state: 1) education and 2) human power. For these reasons, the recommendations provided in the report are important in order to lay a picture of what and how education in Syria could look like in the future.

Following the traumas of the war, whether children have had to migrate, been displaced or lost their families, it is most likely that they are going to need (and currently do need) psychological assistance. In fact, this is not only the case for children but for teachers too. Thus, for this reason, the report recommends for education facilities provided in the OES areas to be spread across Syria. This is because the system provided by Turkish authorities does not design education based on a specific ideological belief or sect of society. This is in comparison to education provided by Syria’s Ba’ath Party, which teaches children history as the party itself sees it.

In regards to providing and securing education facilities across Syria, the report calls for an independent international committee to be established with participation from Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. This committee will be in charge of supervising the current situation in order to lay a future program. Second, the effects of terrorism on education cannot be denied. For that reason, the report recommends for operations to be conducted in order to release children from the hands of terrorist groups such as Daesh and the PKK/YPG by securing deals with their families. Third, emphasizing the need to support Syrian teachers and provide them training, the report calls for an atmosphere of assurance that Syrian teachers who are currently refugees will be able to return to their professions when they return to their country. Fourth, highlighting failures of international organizations – especially that of the United Nations – the report recommends for the UN to work with countries such as Turkey in order to conduct concise assessment needs reports.

In addition to this, considering the fact that the social system in Syria has collapsed, the report calls for a new structure in accountability, budget planning and the education of teachers. In relation to this, and within this new structure, the needs of schools should be assessed and provided in a short period of time. As we know the Syrian Civil War has destroyed cities such as Aleppo and Idlib the most. Thus, such cities should be prioritized in regards to any social facilities provided. Finally, the report calls for the education of future teachers with no ideological bias and concludes with the emphasis that the education facilities provided in OES areas should be replicated across Syria.

 

Last Sunday, families awaited the statements of National Education Minister İsmet Yılmaz, regarding the new application which is to replace the Transition from Elementary to Secondary Education Examination (TEOG). Minister Yılmaz started his statement by expressing that the transition to a “plain” and “clear” model was concluded. According to this new model, students are no longer obliged to take an examination while transitioning from elementary to secondary education. Approximately 90% of students will be able to register to high schools that are in the vicinity of their residence. Neither a base score nor examination result will not be demanded. Parents can choose among schools within a particular district.

This is a good decision as high schools were included to compulsory education with the 4+4+4 education reform. Having an obligatory examination for the transition to high school in such a system was unreasonable. However, TEOG could still be regarded as a good provisional application which allowed to manage the increased demand for high schools. Nevertheless, TEOG was provisional and it needed transformation.

Selective schools and the entrance examination

Minister Yılmaz continued his statement by adding that only certain schools will continue to admit students through examination. In this respect, he expressed that a limited number of selective schools, which correspond to 10% of the total student population, will remain in the system. Top 10% of students, who are scored according to examination results, will continue to be educated at high schools that are to be determined by the Ministry. Science high schools, social science high schools and “project high schools,” which consist of Anatolian high schools, thematic vocational high schools and Anatolian Imam-Hatip high schools, are included within these selective schools. Designing the top 10% of schools to include all types of high schools assures equality and justice. Otherwise, vocational high schools would have especially suffered.

Having a limited number of schools that require advanced attainment is import for Turkey. Countries, like Japan, Korea, UK, and Singapore, which have good education systems, have similar selective school applications. However, it should be noticed that there were no inclinations to increase the number of these schools in any of these countries. Keeping the number of selective schools and their students limited will not cause injustice or inequality in the education system.

Meanwhile, an extensive explanation is yet to be made about the scope of the entrance exam to these selective schools. The ministry has so far only announced that the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade curricula will be included to this exam and that the exam would consist of 80 questions in two parts, quantitative and verbal. First of all, the distinction between quantitative (math and science) and verbal (Turkish Language, social sciences and foreign language) in the exam will cause this division to be lowered to middle school level, possibly having a negative impact on courses. Moreover, this division isn’t meaningful for those who want to study foreign languages. It would be more meaningful to make this distinction based on the courses.

Moreover, if the ministry aims to associate middle schools and high schools in this process, middle school curricula should be assessed with correct types of questions in the examination. As an expert in the field of education, I believe this is necessary for a fair education. In fact, 7^th grade students who are to enter the examination next year should only be assessed according to 7^th and 8^th grade curricula. Students who are in 6^th grade now could be assessed according to 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade curricula. In this respect, the examination could be implemented gradually, preventing victimization. Regardless of question types, both parents and students would be relieved. Otherwise, extra-curricular initiatives and issues regarding resources will emerge once again.

Inclination towards unauthorized educational resources

It is a matter of discussion whether this new application will increase the need for unauthorized educational resources such as private lectures and private study centers (even though they are all closed down). Strong communications between the ministry and Provincial Directorates of National Education should be the priority here, as otherwise all the flues the ministry leaves in its communication will be occupied by extra-curricular initiatives or sources.  In addition, the ministry should increase the quality of education in these high schools that admit students without examination, while gradually decreasing the number of selective schools in the following years. As long as academic and social disparities exist among schools, it is not possible to prevent extra-curricular inclinations. What I suggest is not mediocritizing, or having average schools. The following 10 clauses should be prioritized in order to increase the qualities of schools and closing the gap between them without mediocritizing:

1. Guidance and Counseling services in middle schools should be improved in terms of quality and become professionalized.
2. Regular monitoring exams should be held in middle schools and high schools, new strategies should be determined according to their results.
3. Schools should become more accountable.
4. Professional school administration trainings should be held and the “school administrator” should become a professional position.
5. Teacher academies should be established in certain city centers and professional support to teachers should be provided.
6. Programs supporting academic and social aspects of students at certain schools within determined education districts should be implemented.
7. Affirmative action policies towards the disadvantaged should be implemented and priority zones in terms of educational support should be determined.
8. Alternative curricula and textbooks projects should be developed in schools.
9. Mentorship programs should be designed in elementary and high schools with NGOs.
10. Deficiencies in school equipment and infrastructure should be compensated.

It is possible to elaborate on each of these points or to add more to the list. If all of these are realized, the inclination towards unauthorized resources in Turkey will be eradicated. The academic and social skills of students, their interest in school and the sense of belonging will be improved. Therefore, schools will become more successful academically and socially. Achieving this is also important for school administrators and teachers as their interest and sense of belonging is as crucial as students. In the new system, managing students who come from various academic and social backgrounds in the same class might be initially challenging. For instance, managing the classroom might be exhausting at first. In this respect, teachers will require professional on-the-job training support.

Could this new model trigger immigration?

I don’t foresee such mass mobility with this model. I believe parents should keep calm about this matter. Meanwhile, there might be some micro-level mobility which could be triggered through misinformation. Approaches of the real-estate markets and the media are manipulative. Great responsibility falls on the ministry and the media. The ministry should inform parents about school districts and could even establish call centers in order to answer all kinds of questions that come from parents and students. The mass media, on the other hand, should be more cautious and responsible while covering news on education and should not rely on make-up stories. Correcting false perceptions and misinformation is more challenging than assumed.

Lastly, I don’t believe that this new application, as some assume, will take the country back to the late 90s or early 2000s.  High school education was not compulsory 10-20 years ago. Therefore, the demand on high schools were not at this level. Meanwhile, Turkey’s education sociology has also changed in the past two decades, so the current situation could be summarized as “it’s all water under the bridge.”

With the announcement of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the abolishment of TEOG, the education system and new reforms have re-emerged on the political and social agenda. Amid critics, there is hope that the Ministry of National Education (MEB) is in desire to implement a system that treats students with justice. Considering the number of students within Turkey’s education system, it is highly difficult to find a solution that suits all. Ipek Coskun, Researcher at SETA spoke to Lacivert magazine in regards to recent developments in the education system in Turkey.

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We see that there are series of changes implemented in the education system almost every year, which invoke criticism within the public. Why are these system changes implemented frequently? Why hasn’t Turkey been able to settle on an education system?

It should be expressed that it isn’t only Turkey that pursues such changes. Steps for change and innovation in education systems are being taken across the world. The important part is to determine what creates the need for change and the methodology in implementing such changes. At this point, the main issue that we need to discuss is not change, but rather “stability.”

A strong methodology should be followed in order to ensure and facilitate such stability. This methodology should be compatible with our local realities and contemporary global developments. While almost all who specialize in education think of reform when ‘methodology’ is mentioned, it should not be forgotten that Turkey underwent a grand reform in education four years ago with the prominent 4+4+4 mode, in which every child receives a 12 year-compulsory education. I think from now on, Turkey should focus on progressive elaboration based on the local reflections of the post 4+4+4 period. Therefore, hereafter, we need ‘restoration’ instead of ‘reform’ in the field of education. While we must facilitate stability by keeping our local realities at the center, we must also be on the watch for developments all around the world. Otherwise, trying to move a huge system will create fault lines. Failure would be inevitable in such a case. I mean you may develop strong national education policies, but all the changes you make may become clogged at the lowest level, for instance, by a teacher or a school administrator.

We need ‘restoration’ instead of ‘reform’ in the field of education.

Another point that needs to be emphasized is that in Turkey, not only in education but in other fields, change is perceived as the antithesis of tradition. Breaking from tradition in education brings only about a societal memory loss. What I mean by tradition is the change in the value of knowledge and definition over time. Our outlook on knowledge is still very pragmatic and opportunist, which is why knowledge that won’t be questioned in an exam is deemed worthless and useless. For instance, a student reading a story or novel instead of doing tests during his/her exam period is perceived as trash. If you ask me, it is not children, but teachers and parents who deem such valuable extra-curricular activities as useless.

Lastly, it is apparent that we need an educational aristocracy. I’m aware that the word aristocracy can come across as intimidating. However, I’m talking about a type of aristocracy that could facilitate stability and preserve tradition. We can say that there was such an aristocracy in the Republican era, but this was, unexpectedly, a position that was not in favor of diversity in Turkey. We would’ve expected them to set a stable foundation, yet they deepened ideological schisms. Thus, they rendered the system antipathetic, distancing it from an intellectual wealth. Now, we need educational aristocrats who are liberated from their ideological baggage. Respect to human beings and scientific endeavor are the prerequisites of this.

It is not children, but teachers and parents who deem valuable extra-curricular activities as useless.

The fact that the skills of children are determined through exam results is an issue that has been debated for many years. Spare time that children have is consumed by the said system and existing examinations. Recently, President Erdogan made a statement expressing that the Transition from Primary and Secondary Education (TEOG) examination is needless. How healthy are success rates determined by this kind of a system? What are your suggestions for developing an individual-centered education model?

Let’s start from the last question. As part of my job and study area, I work closely with students and teachers. Therefore, it is safe for me to say that I’m not a stranger to the children’s world. Moreover, I have nephews and nieces whose education I closely observe. For instance, one’s educational process is worthy of assessment. After living in the U.S. until school age, my nephew returned to Turkey, where he continued his education from primary school. He was a curious child who asked many questions and his questions were of a confounding kind. We tried to keep his inquisitive nature as intact as possible and always expressed that he should never resort to memorization.

He grew up, became an adolescent and more importantly he was to enter TEOG this year. Now, he has greater questions on his mind. I’m sure that TEOG couldn’t assess my nephew’s qualities; neither could the earlier exam models like High School Entrance Examination (OKS) or Placement Test (SBS). I’m not implying that my nephew is perfect or gifted; he is only one among more than a million peers. However, we are in need of a model that observes children not only through their academic achievements but also through their attitudes and behaviors. The only thing that gives us information about the profile of a student who is transitioning from 4^th to 5^th grade or from 8^th to 9^th grade is the scores students obtain from examinations. However, files should be prepared for each student and these files should be examined by their future teachers. While Turkey is in need of a more centralized system, only relying on this will do nothing but increase the number of overambitious students whose primary concern is how high they score on a test. In addition, it’s hard to design a model that would satisfy parents, teachers and students. As an educationalist I value once said, “Pedagogy cannot be built with pleasure.”

We need educational aristocrats that are liberated from their ideological baggage. Respect to human beings and scientific endeavor are the prerequisites of this.

When discussions about the abolition of TEOG begun, many families panicked. What would be your advice to families enduring this process?

I can understand what families are going through and they are rightfully stressful about this issue. At this point it is very important that families do not reflect this tension and exert pressure on their children. As there is always a kind of transition process between different levels of education, children should continue studying and families should encourage them to do so. These studies will inevitably be effective in improving their academic success at high school.

It is useful to remember that even before the debate on TEOG began, families had a love-hate relationship with the examination. This is still the case. There are two types of family profiles in this sense: those that attach a lot of meaning to examinations, and those that hate exams because of the stress they cause. For instance, while TEOG questions would not necessarily require students to resort to extra-school resources, as families began to race against each other, they made the process more challenging by buying extra books, sending their children to additional courses and by employing private tutors.

As I’ve expressed before, these common examinations are not as challenging as families claim them to be. This is reflected by the fact that there are thousands of students who achieve full score in TEOG. The Ministry of National Education did not design TEOG as a centralized examination, but rather wanted to hold a common written examination in Turkey. TEOG didn’t stress students as much as the earlier models like OKS or SBS did. Centralized exam systems have been applied in Turkey since the 1990s and one thing that I have observed is that families have become addicted to such systems. There are families who keep track of the number of tests their children complete daily. This situation within families is merely representative of early stress about university education, as there is a general belief that the first step in entering a good university is to attend a good high school. While they are not completely wrong, even if a child attends one of the best universities in Turkey, it is important not to overlook the ways in which this pressure will reflect on them and how they will turn out to be in the world of employment. Therefore, we should think in a multidimensional way. I believe families should also relieve themselves from their stress.

I believe families should relieve themselves from their stress.

In certain regions of the world, some parents don’t send their children to school and home-school them instead. Have you come across such examples in Turkey? Could this prove to be an alternative to the quandaries of the current system?

I don’t believe it would be a strong alternative, yet we could keep it as an option. Families could be granted with a wider area of action in this matter. As compulsory education in Turkey is 12 years, families attempt this kind of home-schooling models during pre-school education. However, it’s not possible to claim that this practice is widespread. Even if parents are not in employment, children being away from school for a couple of months is not desired by most parents – even the summer break becomes a crisis for many families. In this respect, I don’t believe home-schooling would be a preferred option.

I personally do not welcome a complete home-schooled education. However, we could discuss having certain courses being taught at home or at an alternative location. I don’t have any issues with schools assessing home-schooled students either. Nevertheless, a flexible model that could be substituted with being at school for 40 hours might be designed. For example, while arts such as painting and music can be taught at school, they can also be provided by outside municipalities.

Three basic criteria appear as determinants regarding student selection and placement in high schools across the world: GPA, exit examinations and standardized tests. In this framework, the most commonly applied systems include referring students to the schools located in their neighborhood according to their GPA, placements according to their secondary school GPA and exit exam results, and placements based on the results of a standardized test.

In Turkey, standardized tests constitute the main element that determines student placement. Various examination models have so far been implemented in terms of structure, content, modes of application, target groups, score calculation methods, placements systems and so on. As the examination systems of the past 15 years are considered, it is seen that five different systems have been adopted within this period in high school placement. These are respectively the Entrance Examination for High School (LGS), the Secondary Education Institutions Entrance Exam (OKS), the Placement Examination (SBS) that spread out over three years, an updated version of the SBS exam that was implemented only for 8th graders, and finally the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education (TEOG[1]), which has also been implemented for 8th graders.

At the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested the removal of TEOG on the grounds that it lays a serious stress and financial burden on students and parents. In order to prepare for the exam, students were heavily attending private courses instead of attending extra-curricular activities provided at their schools. Shortly after Erdoğan’s statement, TEOG was abolished, leading to quests for a new system.

What is TEOG?

TEOG is a standardized test which applied to 8th grade students on six core subjects (Turkish, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Atatürk’s Principles and History of the Turkish Revolution, English, and Religion and Ethics). In addition to the test, the student’s GPA and class attendance were also taken into account in high school placement. The overall placement score was calculated by taking 70 percent of the scores of the standardized tests conducted by the National Education Ministry (MEB) and 30 percent of the student’s GPA.

Representing a new approach to the transition to secondary education, TEOG differs from its previous counterparts in terms of its mode of application and placement type. TEOG is considered a more student-friendly and positive implementation compared to the previous examination systems since it is based on holding a standardized test in each semester of 8th grade. The reason for this is due to the fact that students were able to sit their TEOG exam in their own schools, the content of the tests comply with the curriculum of the semester and in addition, due to class attendance contributing to the final grade, this developed a strong tie between the student and school. More, students were offered the chance to sit a make-up exam, which was an additional benefit. However, these positive traits of TEOG unfortunately do not follow its application when the school placement process begins.

Why was TEOG abolished?

TEOG’s placement system ranks all high schools across Turkey from highest to lowest according to the scores of the students that enroll. For instance, while admission to some high schools required 459 points, some accepted students with a score of 50, which consequences in the labelling of a “successful” and “unsuccessful” school depending on their base point. These labels whether directly or indirectly were affecting the decisions students and parents made when deciding which school to enter. To express more tangibly, students have preferred a school with 300 base points that is located far away from where they live to a school with 250 base points located in their vicinity. Or contrarily, students have had to move away from their neighborhood when their scores only suffice to enter a lower ranking school located away from their home.

Furthermore, by ranking schools in hierarchical order, this system widened the quality gap between schools. While successful students prefer science high schools, less successful ones are obliged to go to theology-focused İmam-Hatip high schools or vocational high schools. As a result, the İmam-Hatip and vocational schools, which used to have a more heterogeneous student profile, started to address solely the weaker students. This sheer difference between the types of schools becomes obvious when international exams and university placements are considered.

Of course, it cannot be asserted that TEOG is the only cause of all these problems. The education system confronts various structural problems that are interrelated. The defects in the examination systems constitute a major part of the problem yet they are not the only reason. Therefore, changing the exam system will not suffice to resolving all the problems. For years, Turkey has been tackling and discussing the issues of quality and equal education. President Erdoğan also occasionally makes self-criticism in that the goals in education could not be achieved. However, in an education system encompassing 18 million students, it is not easy to ensure justice and equality-based stability.

In particular, reforming the system by coping with deeply-rooted and long-standing problems is an arduous challenge. Despite that, some quantitative developments have been observed in recent years such as the rises in the budget allocated to education, schooling rates, the number of classrooms and teachers, and the decrease in class quotas. Also, it must be noted that some reformative changes to enable democratization in education were also made during this period. These changes include the abolishment of the headscarf ban and the coefficient system that violated principles of equality and justice, the introduction of the 4+4+4 system and the re-opening of İmam-Hatip secondary schools and the inclusion of religion and culture among elective courses.

Quests for a new system

Following the abolishment of TEOG, while a new examination system is yet to be announced, various scenarios regarding the possible system have taken their place within public discourse. It is known that the MEB has been exerting serious efforts on this subject. As the National Education Minister İsmet Yılmaz stated, several options are currently being evaluated. The first option is introducing a system in which each school will hold individual entrance exams. The second option suggests holding entrance exams only for certain schools while the rest of the schools will admit students based on their place of residence.

The first option does not seem very reasonable in terms of financial costs, logistics and applicability. If a total of 11.000 schools hold separate exams, we will be talking about 11.000 different exams. In such a case, students and parents will have to tour an array of cities to sit for the exams they choose. This option also leads to numerous problems and questions. Who will prepare and evaluate these exams? How will students be placed after the evaluation? How will schools handle the burden of these exams? How will schools cope with the pressure exerted on them by parents, bureaucrats and others, given that these aspects constitute major problems even in standardized systems? Consequently, in current conditions, it does not seem possible for each school to organize its own exam. Also, society has a strong trust in standardized tests. Standardized tests avert the doubts of unequal treatment and have a crucial role in offering important opportunities of vertical transfer although they cannot wipe out socio-economic injustice between students.

As underscored in several previous publications by SETA Foundation, the second option appears as the most reasonable system under present circumstances. Nevertheless, several aspects must be underlined while discussing this system. First of all, the quality of education in different neighborhoods can dramatically differ. With the school rankings shaped by TEOG, this hierarchy has become even stricter in the eyes of people. So, the first thing parents will do is to check the TEOG base points of the school in their place of residence while placing their children. Naturally, they will not wish to send their children to “less successful” schools.

Aside from that, success is not the only variant between schools. Environmental factors such as security in the school’s neighborhood, the socio-cultural structure of the area surrounding the school and typologies of people living in the neighborhood are all important criteria for parents along with the school’s teaching and administrative staff. Therefore, if placements will be based on place of residence, parents must be presented a certain degree of flexibility in order to ease their worries.

A system with several alternatives will relieve both parents and students in this sense. However, a set of distinct criteria must be laid down for the students who wish to enroll in a high school outside of their neighborhood in order to avoid exceeding student quotas and confusions – GPA again plays a major role at this point. Likewise, the quotas of schools that will admit students from other neighborhoods must be determined accordingly, and specific quotas must be allocated to these students. Of course, all these steps are required to maintain transparent.

Another contention regarding this option is the issue of trust in school GPAs, which stirred serious public discussions for some valid reasons. This situation worries both parents and students considering the parents who press on teachers for their children’s grades and the teachers who cannot endure this pressure. Such doubts especially revolve around private schools. However, it is not right to bring all the teachers under suspicion. Teachers receive assessment and evaluation formation and are authorized within this scope, so therefore we have to trust them in principle. The teachers who do not or cannot give fair grades constitute an exception. To resolve this problem, the new system must not be shaped through exceptions, and the MEB is required to implement control mechanisms that would erase doubts and establish trust. Also, any kind of misconduct must be penalized.

In this sense, the MEB is under a heavy burden and is required and expected to develop a new system in line with this responsibility. No preliminary works have evidently been conducted in this respect given the timing of TEOG’s removal. Therefore, this year is likely to become a transition period, where setbacks ought to be expected. Consequently, it is significant for experts, pedagogues, teachers, and other agents within the education system to pay regard to justice and equality and support the MEB in introducing the best system possible.

[1] Initially not being an official abbreviation, TEOG entered the literature due to its common use in public.

Turkish Interuniversity Board (ÜAK) strongly condemns the recent coup attempt to overthrow the democratically elected and legitimate Government of Turkey. Serving as an active voice of freedom and democracy, all our universities stand against this unacceptable and shameful attempt against our national will and our parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and freedom. Remembering the devastation in our recent history caused by the previous coups, we also invite all academics and students in the world to stand against this attempt.

Please note that the authorities are now in full control of the unwelcome attempt to depose The Grand National Assembly and overthrow the legal government in Turkey, and that all educational institutions, including universities, academies, community and vocational colleges and related educational establishments thereof are open and freely functioning.

We urge our international colleagues not to allow Islamophobia to cloud their judgments and acknowledge that we all members of Interuniversity Board of Turkey involving all rectors, fully support Turkish Grand National Assembly, its elected representatives of all political parties and endorse peoples’ resistance to the anti-democratic coup d’état attempt.

Interuniversity Board of Turkey

 

Universities are one of the very few institutions which have existed for a long period of time. Fundamentally changing throughout centuries due to both internal and external causes, universities and other higher education institutions continue to exist today by assuming a variety of functions. Especially in the last fifty years, higher education institutions have experienced structural reforms at the behest of the public. All countries eased the access to higher education and experienced a tremendous rise in enrollment in higher education systems. The financial burden of increased enrollment forced the higher education systems to use their resources more efficiently and to respond to the demands of the public and the market. In this respect, quality assurance systems and procedures came to the fore.

On the other hand, the fierce and relentless competition in the world economy imposed more burdens on higher education institutions: universities are now expected to be a center of attraction for international students and academics. Internationalization began to be seen as a source of revenue, an element of public diplomacy, and an instrument to attract the most intelligent and diligent people in the world to increase the research capacity in economic competition. All of these processes necessitated universities to position themselves in accordance with external factors. Since its conception, universities had never faced such pressure. The impact of these processes, expectations from higher education institutions and how higher education institutions respond to societal and external factors continue to be the subjects of heated discussions today.

University Ranking Criteria and the Higher Education Market

Especially in the last twenty years, university rankings which originally were regional and created to aid students and researchers have become increasingly global, establishing a prominent market. There are new ranking institutions being founded every day. While the countries publish national ranking lists employing various criteria, they start to carry these rankings to a global level as they gain legitimacy. As the rankings were recognized by countries, these rankings started to have an increasingly transformative effect on higher education systems. Despite all the discussions about the criteria being extremely narrow and the ranking system’s possible failure in reflecting quality, the world university rankings increased the pressure and made it a matter of prestige for countries to have higher ranking universities on the list. Those who set the criteria and standards rule the higher education market. Moreover, those who set the criteria are able to direct the flow of money due to the investments on higher education. Especially developing countries have started to allot tremendous budgets to found world-class universities and to be on these lists.

Considering the impact of world university rankings on higher education institutions’ behaviors and the immense budgets allotted to rank higher on the list, it is important to mention several crucial matters and risks. Firstly, the top 25 universities on the lists which are world-renowned and, thus, have a vast area of legitimacy, have almost never changed. Moreover, the universities ranking between 25th and 100th on the list have only experienced minimal changes. Hence, there is a monopoly in the highest ranking segment of the lists and this monopoly is expected to perpetuate itself in the near future, unless the criteria are changed (see John Aubrey Douglass’s book The New Flagship University: Changing the Paradigm from Global Ranking to National Relevancy). Prestige and past performances determine the future rankings. As the wealthy have the potential to become wealthier, these ranking systems allow higher education institutions which have extensive experience and a powerful research and publication capacity to maintain their positions on the list. Therefore, the newcomers will not be able to make leaps forward on the list in the near future, even if they allot tremendous budgets to rank higher.

As the ranking systems which rely on a limited set of criteria are facing increasing criticism, alternative ranking systems are being researched. For instance, most of the European countries ranking lower than the US and the UK on the list forced the EU to take action; as they believed rankings would not face a change in the short term, they started to work on an alternative ranking system which also takes the quality of education into consideration. As a result of their efforts, a new ranking system known as U-Multirank, multidimensional ranking of higher education institutions, emerged. As it was not completely acknowledged by the US and the UK, its recognition was limited to European countries. Therefore, the new ranking systems changing the main trend on world university rankings have a limited recognition and legitimacy.

On the other hand, the pressure to publish and cite more in order to rank higher on the existing world universities ranking creates the risk of academics of developing countries focusing more on the issues of those countries which dominate the network of publication and citations, instead of local, national or regional issues that their countries experience. While the universities of developing countries are expected to be more sensitive towards their own countries’ issues for economic improvement, they are also pressured to rank higher on the world universities ranking. Due to the simultaneous pressure on both ends, the most powerful universities of the developing countries are forced to be desensitized towards national issues. This constitutes a paradox which is hard to resolve.

Especially during the recent years, it is being discussed that there is an increasing trend in a brain drain due to the inconsistency between the economic opportunities provided by having a world-class university and the quality of graduates.

What should be done?

The criteria employed by world universities rankings are definitely important and they should be also deemed important by higher education institutions, which are already restructuring themselves according to the common criteria. However, the world universities ranking is not everything and it should be taken with a grain of salt due to the reasons stated. The most important aspect is to have powerful higher education institutions which are connected with local, national and regional issues. This does not entail isolation or a disconnection from the global issues; besides, national and regional issues are not independent of the global ones. Therefore, while creating solutions for national and regional issues, the universities also contribute to the global knowledge database. Nevertheless, there is nothing more natural than a higher education institution prioritizing its immediate environment, thus the country it is in.

On the other hand, the higher education system should have a flexible structure which will allow institutions to create dynamic resolutions for the country’s issues. Balanced and efficient planning of all processes, along with increasing diversification which will allow higher education institutions to have distinct missions are the most important aspects. In other words, national needs and demands have to be taken into consideration. Meticulous and stable steps must be taken to further a small number of flagship universities in certain fields in the world through distribution of roles and careful allotment of national resources, while ensuring these universities continue to prioritize national interests and issues.

In the last few years, Turkey has been going through a rather dynamic phase in higher education. Especially in the last ten years, the higher education sector experienced an impressive growth rate. As the increasing demand for higher education was not met by higher education institutions for decades, politics has intervened by pursuing the policy of founding new universities to increase the higher education supply. This meant that the massification of higher education, which took place in developed countries after World War II, could be experienced in Turkey first in the late 2000s. This also meant that Turkey must also struggle the problems brought about by the massification. Despite these problems, however, there are dazzling gains: obstacles to higher education were removed and schooling rates in higher education are steadily increasing.

According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2016–2017 by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Turkey is ranked 55th among 138 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) and the country is ranked 17th in tertiary education enrollment. When compared to 2011-2012 Report by the WEF and the subsequent reports in the following years, it is seen that Turkey has been experiencing stable progress.

For the first time, the schooling rate of women surpassed men’s, due to women’s increased access to higher education. Similarly, the number of women academics within this period skyrocketed, surpassing the average of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The number of students in higher education is currently over 7 million. On the other hand, the number of international students and academics increased significantly. The internationalization of Turkey’s higher education is strengthening by the day and providing the opportunity to become a regional and global center for higher education. All of these are important gains for Turkey and now the time has come to deal completely with the problem of quality.

The tremendous growth in higher education raised questions about the quality of education; nevertheless, it’s not a form of growth that disregards the quality of education. These developments all took place in accordance with the existing culture of quality and this culture is being consolidated by the day. There is an increased awareness on the subject matter; the experiences of the past paved the way for healthy development, while also contributing to the culture of quality. Increased awareness, higher education institutions embracing the process and the quality assurance system are crucial, along with staff, students and the partners being a part of this culture of quality for the years to come.

Previously, higher education institutions in Turkey were accrediting their departments and programs in accordance with their own quality standards through international accreditation institutions. Similarly, institutional evaluations of higher education institutions were being handled voluntarily through the Institution Evaluation Program (IEP) of the European University Association (EUA); however, only a handful of universities were able to implement it. After the establishment of national quality associations under the umbrella of international quality agencies, the awareness for quality increased and the culture of quality started to spread. In this context, associations such as the Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs (MÜDEK); the Science, Literature, Faculty of Science and Letters, Faculty of Languages, History and Geography Curriculum Programs Assessment and Accreditation Association (FEDEK); the Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs (TEPDAD), recognized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), and the Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Educational Institutions and Programs of Veterinary Medicine (VEDEK) contributed heavily to the training of personnel specialized in quality assurance and the formation of a common understanding.

http://thenewturkey.org/with-brexit-and-the-trump-election-turkey-has-a-chance-to-draw-more-international-students/

As the table below indicates, 340 higher education programs, excluding evening education programs, were accredited by these associations (April 2016). The increasing number of accredited programs of higher education institutions sets a level of quality which sets a standard for those programs that aren’t yet accredited, allowing them to share their experiences with other educational units within the same university. Moreover, the resistance of higher education institutions to external assessment is weakening, which is leading the way for the establishment of quality assurance systems.

On the other hand, even though EHEA encourages higher education institutions to be assessed by other countries’ quality assurance agencies to establish trust between higher education systems, increase transparency and to set a quality standard, it can be seen that there are limitations within some European countries (Eurydice, 2012). For instance, higher education institutions in Denmark and Germany can only use other countries’ quality assurance agencies when the accreditation of the joint programs is in question. Similarly, in Austria, while public higher education institutions can use other countries’ quality assurance agencies, their private counterparts cannot.

In Moldova and Spain, the assessment of higher education institutions by foreign agencies is only possible after they have been accredited by domestic agencies. In Turkey, however, all higher education institution programs are free to accredit themselves from any existing quality assurance agencies, including both European and international ones. In this sense, while there are limitations for higher education institutions in some European countries to be accredited by international agencies, their Turkish counterparts are open to the assessment of all international agencies without a limit. As the table below indicates, 94 higher education programs in Turkey have been accredited by international agencies (April 2016).

EHEA, previously known as the Bologna Process, contributed to our higher education institutions and especially education programs by making them student-centered, while helping them to define the educational output in terms of skills and competences. All of these made it easier for the aforementioned quality associations to function and be a part of the system, along with increasing their activities.

After these experiences, the year 2015 witnessed two important cornerstones in terms of quality of Turkish higher education system. The Regulation on Higher Education Quality Assurance was prepared by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and came into force on July 23, 2015. The Higher Education Quality Council has been founded by the regulation. Similarly, with the joint effort of the Ministry of National Education (MEB), YÖK and the Vocational Qualification Authority (MYK), the Turkish Qualification Framework (TYÇ) was published, which was implemented on November 19, 2015.

The Higher Education Quality Council finalized its structuring and started to function. By December 2016, it started the international institutional evaluation program of the Turkish higher education institutions. This is an important cornerstone indicating that Turkey is entering a new era in higher education quality. While the higher education institutions previously could apply for institutional evaluation voluntarily through the IEP of EUA for exchange of a hefty sum of money, the new setting foresees the one-time external institutional evaluation of all Turkish higher education institutions within five years through the Higher Education Quality Council without any expenses. This process, analogous to the previous ones, will contribute to the development of the culture of quality within the Turkish Higher Education System, along with instilling this culture in the institutions and increasing awareness.

The institutional evaluation reports will be unique for each higher education institution and will include guidance to improve quality in the services they provide. In this sense, it won’t be accreditation, but a report which will encourage the higher education institutions to improve their services, while also assuring their quality. Therefore, it will function as an indicator which shows the strengths and weaknesses in quality assurance, and as a form of incentive to improve their status. As the institutional evaluation processes will result in the mutual learning of both the higher education institutions and evaluation teams, and help the spread of good examples in the county, it will also help the setting of a standard in the long-term in the Turkish higher education system. On the other hand, this process will eventually render the criticisms on lacking quality of higher education institutions irrelevant. Consequently, Turkish higher education system maintains its momentum and strives to continue the success stories despite the July 15 coup attempt.

Turkish NGOs’ involvement in humanitarian aid traces back to the 1990s, where Turkish organizations went to the field during the crises in Bosnia and Kosovo. On top of that, the increased awareness towards human rights violations paved the way for the NGOs to focus more on topics such as women’s rights and refugee protection. The Marmara Earthquake in 1999 for instance proved the significance of civil society movements in Turkey and revealed the role of NGOs in promoting humanitarian values. Since then, the experience of Turkish NGOs became more inclusive and diversified. This awareness accompanied by political reconciliation with the EU has eased off to a certain extent the work of NGOs. From then onwards, Turkish civil society was far more organized and empowered.

When the crisis in Syria began, Turkey was not prepared to absorb such a large number of refugees. The international community was also caught off guard, as there were not any physical presence of international aid organizations to help in providing the basic humanitarian needs for Syrians. But local response did come through; groups and members of the civil society that are not affiliated with formal humanitarian agencies took on the burden of assisting Syrian refugees in Turkey. The Turkish government was also involved through the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) in establishing refugee camps near the border that currently host around 250,000 people.

http://thenewturkey.org/distant-suffering-images-of-the-syrian-war/

However, the majority of Syrians reside outside camps, and they have been in urgent need for even the most essential elements for survival. Upon that, the primary focus of the local response in the beginning was on providing emergency shelter and supplies to families in need. As it became clearer that the war in Syria will not be short lived, local NGOs have recently started to shift their focus on initiating long-term projects that would contribute to the personal development of Syrians, most importantly providing education to children.

As time passed by, international NGOs initiated their own response and came forward to support Syrians in their struggle for survival, with the primary focus being on providing sanitation, shelter, and distributing aid. Unfortunately, this matter was still not sufficient. Attention was mostly given to primary survival needs, to a level where other social needs were often disregarded. Because of that, children became the main victims behind the lack of proper attention towards education.

The number of school-aged Syrians surpasses 800,000 children. Even after six years of hosting Syrians in Turkey, the fact that over 40% of these children still remain out of school proves that this matter was not properly addressed from the beginning. Temporary Education Centers (GEM) host the largest number of Syrian children, with over 300,000. This clearly sheds light upon how important these centers, initiated by local NGOs, are in providing even a basic form of education for children. Local Turkish and Syrian NGOs have clearly proven themselves to be successful in establishing GEMs. Without them, efforts of the UN and other major donors are destined to fail, as those NGOs are the ones in charge of implementing such projects in the field.

International donors from around the world often have different humanitarian priorities. These differences are clearly visible in the failure of the international community to properly address the unfortunate situation of Syrian refugees. The UN has been mainly occupied in administering the urgent needs of Syrians. However, the time has come to direct more attention towards long term sustainable development projects through empowerment, education, and providing economic opportunities for Syrians to strive.

Unfortunately, other problems persist with international agencies in general. Due to their strict conditions on direct cash assistance to local NGOs, aid and funding has been mainly going to where it is most easily provided and not where it is mostly needed. Western donors lack the necessary flexibility to adapt to changes that arise in the field. The field is in constant change, particular assessment upon which assistance was provided may strongly differ by the time the required procedure takes place and aid arrives. That is why it is crucial for donors to be more flexible in allowing local NGOs to provide assistance where they deem is most needed.

http://thenewturkey.org/securing-a-future-for-syrian-women-in-turkey/

Local NGOs and members of civil society have been by far more productive in achieving results than even the UN is capable of doing. Yet, governments and international organizations still find it hard to recognize the important role of NGOs, in a context of truly achieving a sustainable and adequate response to refugee problems. Collaboration ought to be enhanced on the national, as well as international level. This will facilitate coordination to anticipate any future refugee flow. To do so, Turkish NGOs need to work on establishing a refugee protection network to facilitate the exchange of information amongst themselves at the very least.

Turkey is a milestone within the global humanitarian system. The world could have certainly expended more effort to address the Syrian refugee crisis. Turkey has surely taken the initiative, except that it cannot face the challenge all by itself. An attempt ought to be made to put an end to the suffering of the most vulnerable. A global initiative under the name of “No Lost Generation” has already been launched to secure the future of Syrian children. The efforts of humanitarians and governments to strengthen the capacities and potential of young children is considered to be amongst the largest initiatives attempting to solve this situation. Yet more work needs to be done.

It is immoral to look upon the number of Syrian children as statistics – every child matters. Providing access to education ought to be the main target for international organizations, and that can only be achieved by enhancing and developing the capacity of local NGOs working in the field. Turkish NGOs are overwhelmed and much work has yet to be done. The fate of Syrian refugees rests on the shoulders of the international community.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-day visit to Pakistan on November 16 is largely viewed as a fresh move to give impetus to Islamabad-Ankara bilateral ties in trade, defence, education, and other sectors. Next year will mark the 70th year of Pakistan-Turkey diplomatic ties, which Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has pledged to celebrate with “zeal and enthusiasm.”

The current trade volume between Islamabad and Ankara is recorded at around $500 million in 2014-15, with exports to Turkey recorded at $309.19 million and imports at $191.05 million, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce. In August, Pakistan and Turkey agreed to eliminate 85% of tariffs in an attempt to enhance trade, part of a larger Free Trade Agreement (FTA) under negotiation.

Ahead of Erdogan’s visit, Pakistan declined to extend the visas of 108 Turkish nationals and their families, all teachers at a network of private schools with ties to Fethullah Gulen. Turkish officials, including President Erdogan, have been calling for Islamabad to close the Gulen-linked schools for months, saying they were part of a terror organization behind the coup attempt and years of attempts at destabilization in the country, and were a threat to Pakistan as well.

“We have to be very careful with such organizations and their causing risk and threat for the security and stability of every country where they have presence,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Islamabad this August.

In his address to a joint session of Pakistan’s parliament, the third such occasion, Erdogan expressed his gratitude by saying that “I am thankful for the solidarity demonstrated by the Pakistan on this matter… And for their decisive stance against this organization.”

“It is imperative to dismantle this evil network,” Erdogan said. “The terrorist organization is a threat to the security and public order of Pakistan.”

Islamabad had already set a November 20 deadline for Pak-Turk staff to leave the country. However, Erdogan assured the students who were studying in the Pak-Turk schools would be taken care of with the highest standards, and Islamabad has said arrangements will be made to ensure the schools continue to function, but under a new administration.

http://thenewturkey.org/sino-turkish-relations-in-the-age-of-global-transformation/

Many Pakistanis have witnessed three military administrations themselves; and have praised Erdogan and the public’s success at foiling the July 15 coup. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself was jailed and exiled after a military coup in 1999, after a coup by the head of the military, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf, who spent his childhood in Turkey, has repeatedly praised the Turkish military for its role in leading Turkey. Sharif returned from exile in 2007, and months of street protests by his followers and other civilian leaders forced Musharraf’s resignation within a year.

During Erdogan’s visit, Sharif told Parliament the way Turkey “defeated this illegal assault on democracy was remarkable.” In May, Sharif acted as a witness at the marriage of President Erdogan’s daughter in Istanbul, a reflection of the closeness of the two leaders, who head countries trying to emerge from a long history of military interventions.

While political leaders in Pakistan have agreed with Islamabad’s decision to deport the Pak-Turk teachers, some, like Hamid Mir, a political commentator and a senior journalist based in Islamabad, have speculated the actions may have been a product of the Sharif-Erdogan relationship, and that Islamabad and Ankara failed to make a public case for why the steps should be taken.

Support for Pakistan’s Kashmir Policy

Erdogan offered support for Islamabad at a time of heightened cross border tensions in the disputed region of Kashmir, where scores of civilians have been killed since September in firing between Pakistani and Indian soldiers.

Referring to the Kashmir issue, Erdogan said the dispute of Kashmir should be resolved by Islamabad and New Delhi in line with UN resolutions and the wishes of Kashmiri people.

He stressed the need for stepped up cooperation against terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and its affiliate Daesh who he said are the agents of the war carried out against Islam.

He pledged Pakistan-Turkey ties would be deepened further through the Strategic Cooperation Council, which was established in 2009 between Ankara and Islamabad.

Since then, both the countries have signed 51 agreements and documents within the council.

Under the new arrangements between Pakistan and Turkey, 500 Pakistani students would be able to go to Turkey for PhD scholarships every year in light of a document signed between Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission and the Turkish higher education body.

Sharif lauded Turkey’s bid for Pakistan to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). “Our close relationship serves as a stability factor in the region,” Sharif said of Pakistan-Turkey cooperation.

Pakistan has already applied for the membership of the 48-member organization. Turkey has been supporting Pakistan’s membership in the NSG—the 48-member group, which regulates international nuclear commerce.

Turkey is supporting a call for a criteria-based approach for admitting non-NPT countries.

Earlier, Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif while welcoming Erdogan, said Islamabad and Ankara have brotherly relations and both countries are time-tested friends.

A statement from the Presidency stated that Erdogan agreed to the idea floated by President Mamnoon Hussain regarding a long-term bilateral defence cooperation agreement.

Islamabad and Turkey are already pursuing a number of defence collaboration projects with Anakara is helping Islamabad with the midlife upgrade of Khalid-Class Submarines and the two sides also collaborated in building a Naval Fleet Tanker.

In addition, Turkey is interested in purchasing MFI-17 Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan.

Expanding Economic Cooperation

Pakistan and Turkey have agreed on the elimination of 85% of tariffs, a deal that will include regulatory duties and additional duties in case of Pakistan and additional duties and mass housing fund duties in case of Turkey.

Pakistan’s exports to Turkey are likely to increase by $500million to $600 million in a short span of time. Major trade items between Pakistan and Turkey include fabrics, beverages, spirits and vinegar, plastics, chemicals and machinery.

Pakistan’s exports are concentrated in construction, transportation, other business services and government services while imports are concentrated in transportation, other business services, travel, construction, and government services.

“In the next few years, with the passage of time trade and commerce relations between the two countries will reach new heights,” said Hassan Askari Rizvi, a noted political analyst. Both the leaderships have pledged to expand trade at a time when a number of Turkish companies have been working in Pakistan, he added. ”The relationship is mutually beneficial for both Islamabad and Ankara,” Rizvi concluded.

The Current Educational Conditions of Syrian Children in Turkey

Obviously, hosting refugees is not easy, either logistically or politically, and the bitter truth is that they will not return to Syria in the near future. This is why the success of sustainable migration policies is crucial in terms of the mutual adaptation of Syrians and the host community in Turkey. Also, the inconsistent policies of allied countries for the refugees during the refugee crisis, along with the existence of ethnic and religious terrorist groups such as the PYD/YPG and DAESH, constitute the external factors that encourage Turkey to be more determined to implement effective education policies. Similarly, in order to reach social agreement on Syrian refugees and to keep Syrian youths away from any activity that may disrupt public order, Turkey needs to prepare a road map for the education of refugee children. This is necessary to prevent the emergence of a ghost generation that has no identity, no home and no future. Even though various regulations on education have been implemented since 2012, it is difficult to affirm the existence of stable policies on this issue.

Source: MEB

According to MEB’s February 2016 data, there are 834,833 Syrian school-age (5-18) children in Turkey. While 311,259 of these children are being educated at the GEMs[1] (Temporary Education Centers), the remaining 523,583 are yet to be enrolled in school. Furthermore, GİGM (General Directorate for Migration Management of Turkey) data says that there are 364,974 Syrian children currently aged between 0 and 4, who will start their education in the coming years. This picture illustrates the urgent need for sustainable migration policies for Turkey in terms of education and social adaptation.

What is to be done?

The SETA Foundation published a report to draw attention to this issue. As the authors of this report, based on our fieldwork conducted in the cities most populated with refugees, Şanlıurfa, Gazinatep, Kilis, İstanbul and Ankara, my colleague Müberra Emin and I argue that the education of Syrians is a challenge for Turkey, but this challenge could be transformed into an opportunity for both the refugees and Turkey. By conducting observations inside and outside the camps, holding interviews, along with holding in workshops and meetings to contribute to the process of preparing sustainable long-term policies, we developed a roadmap for the education of Syrian children in Turkey. First of all, Turkey needs more extensive and in-depth studies on Syrian children’s welfare and education conditions. The amendments needed to increase the number of schooled Syrian children necessitate a transformation of the whole national education system in Turkey, and such reforms must be encouraged. Educational reform could bridge more pluralist and enriched educational programs and environments. Also, the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) has set a target to close the GEMs gradually over the next three years, and transiting Syrian students from GEMs with Arabic Syrian curriculum to public schools with Turkish curriculums.

Within the Syrian community, there are many serious concerns about this decision, because the Syrians are afraid of an assimilation that may cause generational clashes with their children. However, from the Ministry viewpoint, transition to public schools is critical to overcome the language barrier to ensure social adaptation. We should consider the concerns of the both sides, which show that Turkey needs a hybrid model for the education of Syrian children. Syrian children in public schools should undergo a 6-month/1-year language education and preparation program for school, after which they should be included in the education process according to their level. If the preparatory process is not enough, they should be provided with weekend or after-school Turkish language education. This could be a good start to increase the number of schooled Syrian children and to provide them with good education opportunities. Eventually, Turkey will promote a new strong generation rather than a Syrian ghost generation; most of them have disappeared in Europe. The report also addresses issues such as teacher training, recruitment and curriculum, and also includes policy recommendations with regard to Syrians children’s education in Turkey.

[1] GEMs are primary and secondary education institutions which provide temporary education to Syrian children and teenagers in Arabic and according to the Syrian curricula; they are active both inside and outside the camps.

Turkey’s humanitarian aid response has been executed with little hesitation, with Turkish citizens stepping forth to help mothers, children and families as Syrian refugees pour into the country in a desperate attempt to escape heartless air shelling, extremist attacks and regime sieges. No other country has opened up its borders as Turkey has, nor has any other country been so vocal about Syrians’ right to live democratically, under a freely elected government in their own homeland.

Turkey’s humanitarian aid response has been executed with little hesitation, with Turkish citizens stepping forth to help mothers, children and families.

Syrians are not strangers to Turkey or to the Turkish people. As a matter of fact, most have Turkish blood running through their veins. Syrians know from history and their own families that the Turkish are a warm, welcoming people who feel richer as they open their hearts and homes to their fleeing Syrian sisters and brothers. This lesson is reflected in the Turkish people today – even when their guests overstay, they are a living example that a welcome is a welcome.

The warmth and caring that Syrian mothers and children have received in Turkey, and the education options made possible for refugee students to be able to continue their university studies are part of why the Syrian youth look forward to their future, instead of becoming stuck in a cycle of resentment, trauma and struggle. They are offered a chance in Turkey, even if their ultimate goals are to become educated and return to Syria to help rebuild their homeland into a country of democracy and freedom.

Our focus in Turkey is on empowerment and education, filling gaps so that we can identify opportunities for Syrian mothers and children.

Syrian mothers in Turkey are navigating the labyrinth of settling down, suppressing their sorrow and trauma, while figuring out ways to provide for their children. Our international NGO NuDay Syria works on supplementing what the Turkish government offers Syrian refugee mothers. Our focus in Turkey is on empowerment and education, filling gaps so that we can identify opportunities for Syrian mothers and children, oftentimes in conjunction with Turkey-sponsored programs.

Mothers of the children in our Turkish Tomer programs often find it difficult and are hesitant to learn how to live in a new country while ‘waiting the crisis out’; therefore, much of what we do is to offer psycho-social support and find ways for the women to earn money through crafts, while keeping their children safe. We love seeing mothers provide for their children by sewing, knitting or even teaching and, in return, being paid Fairtrade wages so that slowly they can build their self-esteem. Empowered, Syrian mothers can safely shelter their families and encourage and support their children as they start school as refugee children in a new country with a different language.

Syrian women’s families in Antakya are often engaged with NuDay Syria’s efforts to reach out, to educate and to help empower mothers, whether it be through our self-sustaining social business project, psycho-social therapy or ensuring that their children’s health and emotional needs are being met. In our dealings with these women’s families, we regularly find tragic examples of youth working to secure food aid and rent for their mothers to pay the family’s bills. These young people will be underpaid or, in severe cases, not paid at all after weeks of work, often working 12-hour shifts. These are young people who need to be in school, continuing their education that is so highly valued both in Syrian and Turkish families. There is no doubt that Turkey is cutting itself short by not enforcing labor laws and fining employers taking advantage of refugee children who need any kind of pay check.

A few years from now, the youth refugees will be adults who have received a top-rate education within the Turkish school system or in a school system like that of NuDay.

Paying Fairtrade wages is a modern-day concept that ensures that people struggling to survive are not taken advantage of by avaricious employers. People in the aid field in Turkey have all heard of cases of young people working for very little money or not being paid after weeks of work. Being unfair and ignoring Turkish laws is neither helpful to refugees nor reflective of the ethics of the Turkish government. However, enough workplace malpractice cases have taken place that it is time to emphasize the illegality of ignoring basic employee rights.

With the ongoing crisis not having a definite end in sight, Turkey wants an educated work force, even if they are Syrian guests who arrived as young people and will grow to adulthood in the host country. A few years from now, the youth refugees will be adults who have received a top-rate education within the Turkish school system or in a school system like that of NuDay Syria, where our efforts are closely aligned with the goals of the Turkish Department of Education. They will not be young adults who lost all access to education, who were taken advantage of in the work place and now have few skills and fierce resentment.

Successfully developed countries historically know that their ticket to enhanced living standards and a progressive work force is education for all residents. As is widely known – either from statistics or intuition – obtaining an education is also a major deterrent to extremism. Education is a fundamental part of the belief system of Islam. In Turkey, attempts to provide education for Syrian refugees have been concerted, but still are lacking. NuDay Syria, like other organizations, runs its own school in southern Turkey. Our NuDay School is not only for elementary and secondary students but also serves as a remedial school and institution for adult integration into the Turkish system.

We are filled with hope by Turkey’s example, and are subsequently inspired to continue helping, so that we can build bridges and enjoy how small our world has become.

Our school is operated in collaboration with the Turkish government, and proudly so, because we believe strongly in refugees being given fair, transparent options to become functioning members of their host country, while retaining pride in their Syrian heritage. In our collaboration, students are able to learn the language, work with students in neighboring Turkish schools and build new futures for their families. Several teachers are Turkish nationals and the rest are Syrian teachers who were previously refugees with very few options.

While the Syrian humanitarian crisis is still catastrophic, non-Syrians and expats find themselves re-committing to be part of the change and to ensure they are part of a movement of support for these mothers and children. What we have learned in the last five years is that, if we wait for others to step up, we will be disappointed. None of us know the extent of suffering these families have endured, but we do know that, from our vantage point, we can make a difference and bring relief.

If we are even more resourceful, then we are not only doing what we can to help, but also are able to empower and ensure a stronger sense of self and survival. While Turkey stepped in with little hesitation, most of us never took the bait and still have not done our part to find ways to build bridges and send relief. But we are filled with hope by Turkey’s example, and are subsequently inspired to continue helping, so that we can build bridges and enjoy how small our world has become.