the turkish education system was built in accordance with the atatürk reforms after the turkish w

7/28/2019 The Turkish Education System was built in accordance with the Atatrk Reforms after the Turkish W

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The Turkish Education System was built in accordance with the Atatrk Reforms after

the Turkish War of Independence. It is a state supervised system designed to produce a

skillful professional class for the social and economic institutes of the nation.

Turkish system mandates 8 years ofprimary education between the ages of 7 and 14, and

in 2001 enrollment of children in this age range was nearly 100%.

For 14-18 year olds three or more years of secondary education are available in public,

distance-learning, and vocational high schools. About 95% of students attend public

schools, but inadequacies of the public system increasingly motivate middle-class parents

to seek private education.

In 2001 some 1,273 institutions of higher learning were in operation. Except for the Open

Education Faculty (Turkish: Akretim Fakltesi) at Anadolu University, entrance is

regulated by a national examination, SS, after which high school graduates are assigned

to the limited university space available, according to their performance. Annually, about

1.5 million students graduate from Turkish high schools.

In 2002, the total expenditure on education in Turkey amounted to $13.4 billion,

including the state budget allocated through the National Ministry of Education and

private and international funds.

High school

High school lasts 4 years, with some high schools having an additional year of

preparatory classes in a foreign language. The different kinds of high schools of the

Turkish education system include: Public High Schools, the standard type; Anatolian

High Schools which provide more lessons in a selected foreign language (English,

German orFrench); Anatolian Imam-Hatip High Schools which have a same curriculum

as Anatolian High Schools with lessons about religion; Science High Schools focusing on

science education; Vocational High Schools, which focus on a certain type of profession

(such as Tourism Vocational High Schools, Industrial Vocational High Schools, and

Electrical Vocational High Schools; Imam-Hatip High Schools, different type of general
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high school with lessons about religion; and finally, Private High Schools, which are

established by private enterprises.

There are 7934 High Schools in Turkey as of 2007

The lessons taught in high schools' 9th and 10th grades are:

Turkish Language

Turkish literature

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Geometry

Turkish History

Geography

English language

Second Foreign Language (German, French, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, Russian

languages)

National Security Health Studies

Electives

Profession Lessons (only in Vocational High Schools)

Courses on Religion (only in Anatolian Imam-Hatip High Schools and Imam-

Hatip High Schools)

When students complete the 9th grade, they choose one of four tracks: Turkish language

Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, and Languages. In Vocational High Schools no

tracks are offered, while in Science High Schools only the Science tracks is offered.

At the end of high school, following the 12th grade, students take a High School

Finishing Examination and they are required to pass this in order to take the SSand
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continue their studies at a university. Exam scores are weighted to provide students in

each track with different opportunities when entering higher education, as follows:

Turkish languageMathematics: International Relations, Law, Education,

Psychology, Economy, Business Management, and the like.

Science: Engineering, Computer Science, Medicine, and otherScience related

professions.

Social Sciences: History,Geography, and Education.

Languages: Language/Linguistics and language teaching.

Universities

The formerRobert Collegebuilding on South Campus ofBoazii niversitesi,Istanbul

After the national university entrance examination SS (Turkish: renci Seme Snav)

organized by SYM, if they succeed, students continue with their studies at a university.

Universities provide either two or four years of education for undergraduate studies

whereas for graduate studies, a further two years are necessary, as is typical throughout

the world. There are around 820 higher education institutions including universities with

a total student enrollment of over 1 million. Major universities are located in Istanbul and

Ankara. Tertiary education is the responsibility of the Higher Education Council, and

funding is provided by the state for public institutions that make up the bulk of the

tertiary education system. There are 118 universities in Turkey, which are classified as

either public or foundational (private) and 373,353 students were graduated from these

universities in 2006. Public universities typically charge very low fees and foundational

are highly expensive with fees that can reach $15,000 per annum, and as such, a majority

of students in tertiary education attend public institutions. Since 1998, universities have

been given greater autonomy and were encouraged to raise funds through partnerships

with industry.

The quality of education at the Turkish universities varies greatly, some providing

education and facilities on par with internationally renowned schools (for the technical
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universities, often compared with the universities in the United States, as there are several

Turkish universities regularly visited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and

Technology, the recognized U.S. accreditor of college and university programs, and their

engineering programs deemed substantially equivalent to comparable programs at the

U.S. universities), and these reflect as the popularity of a university in students' choices at

the SS examination.

University studies last between 2 and 4 years for the undergraduate level, and 2 or more

years for the graduate level. Some universities also ask for an additional year of English

preparatory study to be completed before the start of studies, unless a proficiency

examination is passed.

Turkish universities actively participate in the Socrates - Erasmus program of the

European Commission, aiming to increase student and academician mobility within the

European Union, theEuropean Economic Area countries, and other EU candidate states.

An increasing number of Turkish university students complete a part of their studies

abroad at other participating countries' universities, and Turkish universities receive

students of the same status from abroad.

With the passage of law 2547, the rectors of all the public universities are appointedjointly by the faculty, Higher Education Council and the President of Turkey.[4] The

current president, Abdullah Gl, has suggested that the system might be changed to

eliminate the Higher Education Council and political influence.

Research

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TBTAK) coordinates

basic and applied research and development, acting on proposed policies by the Turkish

Academy of Sciences (TBA). There are more than 60 research institutes and

organizations. Turkey's R&D strengths include agriculture, forestry, health,

biotechnology, nuclear technologies, minerals, materials, IT, and defense.
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Currently, religious education courses begin at the 4th grade of primary school and

continue throughout secondary and high schools. From the 4th to the 8th grade, classes

consist of two hours per week. At the high school level, there is one hour of class per

week Thus, a student who has graduated from high school receives 8 continuous years of

religion courses. There are no fixed books for the course. Rather, each school decides

which book to followprovided that the book for each level is approved by the Ministry

of Education. Nearly half of the content of these courses concerns religion and Islam

(whom majority are Muslims) with remaining topics ranging from secularism to

humanism and from ethical values to etiquette. The major world religions such as

Judaism,Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism are included in the content of the course.

INSTITUTION TYPES & CREDENTIALS

Types of higher education institutions:

University

(Technical University)

(Vocational Schools)

(Institute)

(Higher Institute of Technology)

STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION SYSTEM

Pre-higher education:

Duration of compulsory education:

Age of entry: 6

Age of exit: 13

Structure of school system:

Basic

Type of school providing this education: Basic Education School
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Length of program in years: 8

Age level from: 6 to: 14

Certificate/diploma awarded: (Basic Education Diploma)

Secondary

Type of school providing this education: Genel Lise, Meslek Lisesi, Teknik Lise(General, Vocational and Technical High Schools)

Length of program in years: 3

Age level from: 14 to: 17

Certificate/diploma awarded: Lise Diplomasi

School education:

The age of entry to school is six or seven. Since 1997, secondary education follows eight

years of basic education and covers general, vocational and technical high schools that

provide three or four years of education. General high schools do not prepare students for

a specific profession but rather for higher education. The following institutions are

considered to fall within general secondary education: high schools; high schools with

intensive foreign language teaching; Anatolian high schools where a foreign language -

English, French or German - is taught during the preparatory year and the teaching ofcertain subjects is provided in that language in upper grades; science high schools;

teacher training high schools; Anatolian fine arts schools; multi-curricula high schools;

evening high schools; and private high schools. In general high schools, the average

number of weekly periods of teaching in each grade varies from a minimum of 33 to a

maximum of 41. In their second year, students in high schools where the general

programme is applied may choose to attend branches which specialize in the natural

sciences, literature and mathematics, the social sciences, foreign languages, art or

physical education. Vocational high schools provide three-year secondary education,

train qualified people for various professions and also prepare students for higher

education. Technical high schools offer a four-year programme. Subjects offered in the

first year are the same as in the vocational high schools. Secondary education students

obtain the Lise Diplomasi which is the prerequisite for entry to higher education.


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Admission to university is centralized and based on the Student Selection Examination

(SS). As of June 2003, candidates have to obtain a minimum of 160,000 points

(previously 105,000 points) to be eligible to enroll in two-year vocational higher

education and open/distance education programmes and a minimum of 185,000 points

(previously 120,000 points) for all four-year undergraduate programmes in the Student

Selection Examination (SS). 185,000 and 160,000 points respectively correspond to

120 and 105 of the previous SS score types. The maximum SS score will be 300 as

from 2003.

Higher education:

Higher education is provided by 53 state universities, including 2 higher institutes of

technology, and 24 foundations (private universities). The supreme authority for the

regulation of higher education is the Council of Higher Education (YK), which is a

fully autonomous national board of trustees without any political or government

affiliation. The Interuniversity Council consists of the rectors of all the universities and

one member elected by the Senate of each university. Universities, faculties, institutes

and four-year schools are founded by law, while the two-year vocational schools,

departments and divisions are established by the Council of Higher Education. The

foundation universities are under the supervision of the Council of Higher Education andtheir programmes must be regularly accredited. In the universities, the medium of

instruction is Turkish. Some universities use English, French and German as the language

of instruction with one preparatory year.

Main laws/decrees governing higher education:

Decree: Law No. 1739 on National Education Year: 1973

Decree: Law No. 2547 on Higher Education Year: 1984

Concerns: Foundation universities

Decree: Law No. 2547 on Higher Education Year: 1981

Decree: Law No. 4306 on National Education Year: 1997

Decree: Law No. 4702 on access to the two-year higher education programmes withoutuniversity entrance examination for vocational/technical high school graduates Year:


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2001

Decree: Law No. 625 on Private Education Year: 1995

Academic year:

Classes from: Oct to: Jun

Languages of instruction: English, French, German, Turkish

Stages of studies:

Non-university level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational type):

Non-university level:

There are no non-university level post-secondary studies in the Turkish higher

education system. Higher technical and vocational post-secondary studies last for four

years in higher schools and for two years in vocational higher schools affiliated to the

universities. They offer vocational training in various professions and confer an

nlisans Diploma following completion of two-year university studies and a Lisans

Diploma on completion of four-year university studies.

University level studies:

University level first stage: nlisans Diplomasi/Lisans Diplomasi:

An nlisans Derecesi or Diplomasi (Associate Degree) is awarded after the successful

completion of two-year university studies. Courses leading to the Lisans Diplomasi

require a minimum of four years' university study. Courses last for five years in

Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine and for six years in Medicine. In Veterinary

Medicine, the professional qualification of Veteriner Hekim Diplomasi is conferred. In

Dentistry, the Dis Hekimligi Diplomasi is conferred upon the completion of five years'

study. In Medicine, the professional qualification of Tip Doktorlugu Diplomasi is

conferred. The graduates of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Dentistry can directly

apply to PhD/Doctorate programmes in Turkey. The qualifications in these three fields


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of study are considered to be the equivalent of a Yuksek Lisans Diplomasi (Master's

degree).

University level second stage: Yksek Lisans Diplomasi/Bilim Uzmanligi Diplomasi:

The Yksek Lisans Diplomasi (Master's Degree) lasts for two years with thesis and for

one-and-a-half years without thesis.

University level third stage: Doktora Diplomasi/Bilim Doktorlugu Diplomasi/Tipta

Uzmanlik Belgesi/Sanatta Yeterlik Diplomasi:

Candidates must hold the Yksek Lisans Diplomasi and sit for an examination. The

Doktora Diplomasi is conferred after two years' study and on completion of a doctoralthesis (a total of four years). The Tipta Uzmanlik Belgesi (specialist degree) in

Medicine is conferred to recognize a physician's advanced skills and expertise. It is

considered to be the equivalent of a Doktora Diplomasi.

Teacher education:

Training of pre-primary and primary/basic school teachers

Primary school teachers are trained in universities where they must obtain a Lisans

Diplomasi.

Training of secondary school teachers

Secondary school teachers are trained in universities where they must obtain a Lisans

Diplomasi.

Training of higher education teachers

According to the Higher Education Law (art. 35), higher education institutions are

responsible for the training of their own academic staff, both at home and abroad.


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There are various criteria for the promotion of teaching staff members.

Non-traditional studies:

Distance higher education

Distance education is offered at the Open Education Faculty of Anadolu University.

Entry is on a competitive basis through the central national university entrance

examination (SS). Courses last for two and four years.

Other forms of non-formal higher education

Non-formal education is offered by a network of training centers supervised by the

Ministry of National Education.

GRADING SYSTEM

Usual grading system in secondary school

Full Description: 0-5. 5=excellent; 4= good; 3= satisfactory; 2 = passing; 1 = failing; 0=

failing and not included in general calculation.

Highest on scale: 5

Pass/fail level: 3/2

Lowest on scale: 1

Main grading system used by higher education institutions

Full Description: Marking systems vary. Many universities use a 1-4, 1-5, 1-10

(maximum) or 1-10 (minimum) scale. Degrees are graded on a 50-100 scale: 85-100

pekiyi; 65-84 iyi; 50-64 orta; 50 geer; 0-49 gemez.


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Highest on scale: 100

Lowest on scale: 50

Other main grading systems

Some universities use single letters (A-F), others use double letters (AA-FF). Vote of

jury examiners

Education System in Turkey

Schools

Pre-school Elementary High school University Foreign students University links

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, every citizen has the right to educationwhich is free of charge for the compulsory primary education. Except in specially licensed andforeign institutions, Turkish must be taught as the mother tongue.

The Ministry of National Education (MEB) runs educational administration of the countryand isresponsible for drawing up curricula, coordinating the work of official, private and voluntaryorganizations, designing and building schools, developing educational materials and so on. TheSupreme Council of National Education discusses and decides on curricula and regulationsprepared by the Ministry. In the provinces, educational affairs are organized by the Directorates ofNational Education appointed by the Minister, but working under the direction of the provincialgovernor.

The central government is responsible for all educational expenses of the public, about 10% ofthe general budget is allocated for national education.

The academic calendar generally begins in late September and extends through to early June,

with some variations between urban and rural areas. The school days usually have a morningand an afternoon session, but in overcrowded schools there is a split session. Schools are insession for five days a week (Monday to Friday) in a total of 35-40 hours. There is a two weekwinter break in February. Universities usually organize the academic year into two semesters,usually between October - January and between February/March - June/July.

The Turkish National Educational System is composed of two main sections: Formal Educationand Non-formal Education.
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Formal Education

Formal education is the regular education of individuals in a certain age group and given inschools. This includes Pre-Primary education, Primary education, Secondary education andHigher education institutions.

Pre-Primary education

Pre-Primary education is an optional education for children between 3-6 years of age who areunder the age of compulsory primary education. The purpose of this education is to ensurephysical, mental and sensory development of children and the acquisition of good habits, toprepare children for primary education, to create a common atmosphere of growth for those livingin inconvenient circumstances and to ensure that Turkish is spoken correct and well. Pre-schooleducation is given in kindergartens, daycare homes, nursery classes in primary schools, and inprivate nurseries, all under the supervision of the Ministry. They are usually concentrated in largertowns and cities.

Primary Education

With a new Law in 1997, eight years of Primary school is compulsory today (former system wasfive years of compulsory primary school, followed by three years of middle or junior high schooleducation). Primary education is compulsory for all boys and girls at the age of 6, and is givenfree of charge in public schools. These schools provide eight years of uninterrupted education.There are also private (and paid) schools under State control. In most of the primary schools,foreign language lessons start from 4th class. Most elementary school students dress similarly ina type of uniform to avoid any social class differences between rich and poor students. If thechildren fails to pass the class, he/she has to repeat the same class next year. At the end of 8years, successful students get their Diploma and can go for the Secondary education.

The purpose of primary education is to ensure that every child acquires the basic knowledge,skills, behaviors, and habits to become a good citizen, is raised in line with the national moralconcepts and is prepared for life and for the next education level parallel to his/her interests andskills.

Secondary Education

Secondary education covers general, vocational and technical high schools (Lycees, Lise inTurkish) that provide four years of education (used to be 3 years until 2005).

General high schools prepare students for higher learning institutions. Some of the

secondary schools and the private secondary schools have foreign language preparatoryclasses. This kind of private lycees have double language education (such as Italian Highschool, German High school, Austrian High school, French High school, and so on).

Vocational and technical high schools provide specialized instruction with the aim of

training qualified personnel.o Technical lycees include special formations such as electricity, electronics,

chemistry, machinery, motors, building, etc.
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o Vocational lycees can be Industrial Vocational Lycees; Girls' Vocational Lycees

(home economics etc.),Public Health Vocational Lycees, Commercial VocationalLycees, AgriculturalVocational Lycees, MeteorologyVocational Lycees, AnimalHusbandry Vocational Lycees, Land Registration and Cadastre VocationalLycees, etc.

The purpose of secondary education is to give students a minimum common culture, to identifyindividual and social problems, to search for solutions, to raise awareness in order to contribute tothe socio-economic and cultural development of the country and to prepare the students forhigher education, for profession, for life and for business in line with their interests and skills.

In addition to normal high schools, there are also evening high schools usually operating in thesame school building. These are designed to allow those who take up employment after primary(or middle school) to continue their formal education.

Most of the high schools are owned by the State and provide free educational opportunities. Inorder to provide equal opportunities for the children with limited finances, there are State highschools with boarding facilities. These schools are free of charge and the students are placedaccording to the results of an examination.

Graduates of the high schools can attend universities if they can pass admission exams.

Higher Education

Turkish universities are Republican institutions, following Atatrk's principles. Universities,faculties, institutes, higher education schools, conservatories, vocational higher educationschools, police and military academies and colleges, and application-research centers areconsidered as Higher Education institutions.

Universities, faculties and institutes of four-year higher education schools are founded by Law,while the two-year vocational schools, departments and divisions are established by the Councilof Higher Education (YK). Universities are under the supervision of this Council and theirprogrammes must be regularly accredited. The Council of Higher Education is a fully autonomousnational board of trustees without any political or government affiliation. Universities have theirrectors, deans, senate, and administrative boards, as well as student councils. In the universities,the instruction is generally in Turkish. Some universities use English, French and German as thelanguage of instruction with one preparatory year if necessary.

After the high school, the graduates enter an one-stage examination (SS - Student SelectionExamination) in order to be admitted to Higher Education institutions. This nation-wide centralizedexamination is administrated by the Student Selection and Placement Center (SYM) every year,

which determines candidates for the enrollment of each university and faculty after evaluating thegrades of related subjects, their high school average results and their preferences according tothe student capacity of each faculty. Those with good grades are qualified for the four-yearundergraduate programmes and at the end they can get a Bachelor's Degree (BA), those whohave grades at the limit can be admitted to the two-year higher education programmes and at theend they can get an Associate's Degree (AA). Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine courses last forfive years and Medicine for six years.
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After a four-year faculty, one can go further for his/her Master's Degree which lasts for two yearswith thesis and non-thesis options. Access to doctoral programs requires a master's degree andhave a duration of minimum four years with a doctoral thesis at the end. The graduates ofMedicine, Veterinary Medicine and Dentistry can directly apply to PhD/Doctorate programmes.

The purpose of higher education is to raise the students in line with their interests and skills, in

conformance to the science policy of the country and in consideration of qualified manpowerneeds of society at several levels, to do researches in scientific areas, to arrange for all kinds ofpublications that show the research and examination results and facilitate advancement ofscience and technology, to finalize the researches and examinations demanded by thegovernment and to make comments, to make written or oral public announcements explaining thescientific data that shall increase the general level of Turkish society and enlighten the public, andto give non-formal education.

According to the Law, higher education institutions are responsible for the training of their ownacademic staff. Meanwhile, Primary and Secondary school teachers are trained in universitiesfor4 years and they get a BA degree at the end.

The major source of income ofstate universitiesis the funds allocated through the annual Statebudget, this is equivalent of about 60% of the total university income. In addition to this, auniversity can generate its own income from the services provided by that university, such aspatient care in university hospitals. Student contributions to state universities form only 4% of thetotal university budget. Meanwhile, the student fees in private foundation (Vakif) universities aremuch higher.

At present, enrolment in the private universitiesaccounts for only 5% of the total. Clearly, stateuniversities are by far carrying the major portion of the load of higher education in Turkey.

Non-Formal Education

Non-formal education in Turkeyis offered by a network of training centers who are supervised bythe Ministry of National Education (MEB). Non-formal education services aim to teach reading-writing, help to continue education of students for finish their incomplete education, teachbalanced nutrition and a healthy life style, teach people from various professions the knowledgeand skills they need to improve themselves, and so on.

There is also Distance Higher Education which is offered at the Open Education Faculty ofAnadolu University. This program lasts for 2 or 4 years.

Foreign Students Admission

Foreign students would like to enroll in the post-graduate programs of the Turkish institutions ofhigher education can apply directly to universities and must have completed their secondaryeducation in a high school in which the education is equivalent to that of a Turkish lycee; theyneed to have it confirmed from a Turkish Embassy in their country and apply for a student visa.The applications of foreign students will be considered by the universities within their limit of theallocated places for foreigners. The students must also take the Foreign Student EntranceExamination (YS) which consists of two tests; a "basic learning skills test" where they must
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score at least 40, and a "Turkish language proficiency test" to see their Turkish languagelevel, ifany. Language courses are organized for those who do not speak Turkish, and in some Turkishuniversities courses are taught in English, French or German.

Foreign students must take the Graduate Education Entrance Examination or an internationalexamination (GRE, GMAT, SAT, etc.) required by each university, the equivalency of which is

recognized by the concerning university senate. The evaluation of the results of theseexaminations is carried out by the concerning universities.

Source: Ministry of National Education (MEB), Council of Higher Education (YK), Columbia University

Turkish Education System...

After the change from the Ottoman to the Turkish Republic many reforms in education were

made. As in Ottomans the Ottoman language was difficult, the alphabet was the Arabic onewhich is very difficult to learn, the literacy ratio was very low and the religion education was the

major subject many radical changes has been made. Some important ones were secularization

and change of alphabet.

Education has been made a top priority of national development. It has the largest budget of any

ministry with an allocation of over 22% of the national budget.

The aim of the Turkish educational system is to nurture productive, happy individuals with broad

views on world affairs who will unite in national consciousness and thinking to form an

inseparable state, and will contribute to the prosperity of society through their skills. This isthought to be instrumental in making the Turkish nation a creative and distinguished member of

the modern world.

Some Numbers

Education:Compulsory for 8 years (recently decreed)

Literacy Rate:Total 82 %, Male 89%, Female 69 %

Primary Schools:

High Schools:

Universities :

Nursery Schools
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Apart from the general educational system, pre-school training is available on a private basis or

with public sector facilities. However, this level of education is not yet common and is limited to

about 5-10 % of Turkish pre-school children. Mostly the families in big cities and working mothers

do prefer to send their children to Nursery schools. The children basically start around four years

age and learn games, theater, painting, manners, songs, etc.

Primary Schools

Primary School which is compulsory for 8 years, start at the age of 7 generally but, depending on

the physical development of children, it can also be 6.

The national attendance at primary schools is about 96%. In some rural areas parents cannot

physically manage to get their children to school as they live far from towns on mountains.

A special feature of primary schools is that one teacher takes care of all the students in one

class, from the first grade and continues with those children for eight years until they finish their

compulsory education.

The school age population of Turkey is very large and often school buildings and teachers are

insufficient to cope. This results in two sessions of school, one in the morning and one in the

afternoon. This helps to explain why so many children are seen in the streets during weekdays.

The average number of students in each classroom is 20 to 40, but in some rural areas, where

there are not enough teachers, even more students have to fit into the same classroom.

All over the country, in each classroom above the blackboard, a portrait of Ataturk is hung. On

one side you will see his speech to the Turkish Youth and on the other, the National Anthem. AsAtatrk is very important for the Turkish people the principles of him are told to children from that

age on.

There are no fees for public education until college or university. Students attend school in

uniforms which are usually blue or very occasionally black for public schools. The uniforms of

private schools are generally more colorful and with ornament. Parents have to buy uniforms,

pens, pencils and notebooks.

At the beginning of the week on Monday mornings and at the end of the week during Friday

afternoons, flag ceremonies are held with all the teachers and students present in the courtyard

or playground of each school.

Each morning, primary school students pledge in chorus to be honest and studious, to protect the

young and respect the old, to love their country more than themselves.

The general studies are about Turkish, Foreign Language, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics,

Literature, Religion, Geography, History, etc


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After they finish Primary school they take an examination which is effecting the Secondary and

Lyceum education.

High Schools (Lyceum)This consists of High School (Lyceum), which normally takes 3 years. In these schools, the

system of one teacher for each class changes to a specialist teacher for each subject. Students

can choose one foreign language from English, French or German. Religious Education lessons,

depending on the present governments policy, is often optional, and is actually a comparative

study of religions rather than only of Islam.

The aims of these schools are to secure a level of general knowledge, develop an awareness of

individual and community problems and to contribute to the economic, social and cultural growth

of the country as well as preparing students for higher education.

Anatolian, Science, Fine Arts, Vocational, Technical, Islamic Theological and Private High

Schools are different from the general High Schools, but are still a part of the Secondary

Education system.

The Anatolian, Science and Private High Schools are the best and consequently most popular. In

these schools there is an extra year (prep class) at the beginning to teach one foreign language

and in the following years, all science lessons are taught in that foreign language.

Students in High Schools must wear uniforms. The education at this level is free of charge

except at the private schools where an average fee is about 4,000 US Dollars per year.

Students show respect for their teachers by addressing them "sir" or "teacher", or by standing up

as a class when a teacher enters the classroom.

Universities

This consists of universities of two and four years, schools of further education which are all

affiliated to an autonomous Higher Education Council.

There are a total number of 60 universities excluding the private universities. Students are

admitted to universities through a examination held once a year. In order to obtain a good future,

students want to study in good departments at good universities. This is why they start studying

for the entrance exams as much as two years in advance, generally taking private courses as

well. The students need to get at least 105 points to have a chance. After the results students

need to make their selections and after, the YOK (High Education Council) place the students


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starting from the highest points got. As there are more applications than quotas in Universities

not everyone could get placed. Generally speaking 1/3 of the students could continue to the

university. The others, in case they can afford it continue to the private universities, start working,

wait one more year or attend the military service (for man) .

Unlike the earlier educational levels, students have to pay a fee of approximately 100-350 USDollars per year at public higher education facilities.

After four years of study they may also continue to do masters for one or two years. This is also

with an examination and costs a little more.

Evaluation of teachers for restructured elementary curriculum

Elementary school curriculum in Turkish Education System has been changed severaltimes in the republic era. After establishment of Republic of Turkey in 1923, elementaryschool curriculum was restructured in 1924, 1926, 1936, 1948, 1962 and 1968 (Tazebay,2000). From 1923 to 1997 compulsory education in Turkey was five years. However, in1997 The Minister of National Education (MONE) made a radical decision to increasecompulsory education to eight years. Therefore, the primary school curriculum and themiddle school curriculum were combined in the elementary school system. However, atthat time those curricula were not revised and restructured. In order to unify and integrateelementary school curriculum, new elementary school curriculum (grades 1-5) wasdeveloped and introduced as a pilot study in the 2004-2005 academic year in someregions of Turkey. As a result of it, in 2005-2006 academic year the reconstructedelementary curriculum (grades 1-5) was introduced in the Turkish elementary schools.

What is the reason behind curriculum innovation in Turkish Primary School System?Implementations of educational activities and school policies had been criticized in termsof test results and level of students' academic knowledge and thinking skills. Educationalequity is not likely without a range of opportunities for conception and representation,opportunities that are wide enough to satisfy the diversity of talents of those who come toschool (Eisner, 1994). Particularly failures of Turkish students in norm-referenced tests innational and international level were criticized. For example, according to 2003 PISAresults Turkish students score were second lowest level. These results were interpreted inthe way that Turkish school systems should be revised philosophically andpsychologically. Students were learning based on retention instead of thinking andexperiencing. In fact, The Turkish Ministry of National Education (MONE) took a radicaldecision to reshape curriculums rooted in constructivism and active learning.

The principles of constructivist pedagogy are listed:

(1) posing problems of emerging relevance to learners;

(2) structuring learning around "big ideas" or primary concepts;

(3) seeking and valuing students' points of view;


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(4) adapting curriculum to address students' suppositions;

(5) assessing student learning in the context of teaching (Brooks & Brooks, 1993).

On the other hand, active learning is defined to aim that is made more concrete and

manageable by focusing on five student potentials that teachers have the power toinfluence and that directly contribute to school success. These five student abilities aredignity, energy, self-management, community, and awareness (Harmin & Toth, 2006).

Psychological foundations of the new elementary curriculum are cognitivism,constructivism, and active learning. Therefore, new curriculum is regarded as a learned-centered curriculum. The following table summarizes the differences between the ex-curriculum and the new one.

Teachers are the most obvious professionals who should assume evaluation roles.Teachers should be involved in cooperative curriculum work, and they should have

partial responsibility for program evaluation. There are many views and procedures toevaluate the effectiveness of any curriculum. One of them is formative and summativecurriculum evaluation approach. While formative evaluation often uses informal methodsand frequently focuses on processes, summative evaluation uses more formal means ofgathering data for analysis. Surveys given to assess teachers' reactions to the newcurriculum will formally be prepared (Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993).

Method

In order to collect data for this study, a questionnaire consisted of open-ended questionsrelated to courses was developed and administered to 210 teachers in June 2007 because

the school year ends in the middle of June in Turkey. The teachers were asked to writetheir opinions about the implementation of each subject's curriculum. It was pointed outthat the open-ended format of the questionnaire calls for a free response in theparticipants' own words. It also provides for a greater depth response. The respondentsrevealed their frame of reference and possibly the reasons for their responses (Best &Kahn, 1989). A total of 210 elementary school teachers participated in this research. Theteachers taught in different grades from 1 to 5 in 2006-2007 school year.

After collecting teachers' responses about the implementation of the new curriculum, allviews were grouped to analyze in pros and cons for the new curriculums.

Results

The introduction of the national curriculum for 1-5 grades and its associated testingarrangements caused a lot of anxiety, confusion and eventual antagonism on the part ofteachers. Teachers' points of view about the new curriculum were explained for eachsubject as following.


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Some of the teachers (54) in this study expressed that the new curriculum lacks mainconcepts and practices. Those teachers could not distinguish between "less vs more"policy in curriculum development. Therefore, the teachers have doubts about students'intellectual development through the new curriculum.

Knowledge of Life:Knowledge of Life is a course for 1-3 grades. Contents in the course were designed asunits in the ex-curriculum. However, contents of the new curriculum are organizedaccording to thematic approach. In this way, students have opportunity to see a bigquestion and understand a whole picture. A total of 125 first, second and third gradeteachers in this study shared their opinions about the curriculum of knowledge of life.The teachers expressed that contents were designed student-centered instead of teacher-centered. So students are motivated to participate actively in teaching and learning bydoing. Since the role of teachers in this curriculum is facilitator, students in learningactivities are challenged to take responsibility for their own learning. On the other hand,

contents are integrated to students' daily life, needs, and interests. Teachers in this studypointed out that only students' academic development were taken into consideration inthe ex-curriculum, but in the new one student is considered as a whole child to be paidattention to his/her social, emotional, psycho-motor, and academic development.

do not help to foster students' understanding through reading.

Some of the teachers (36 out of 125) expressed that implementation of the newcurriculum would not easy because of lack of materials, sources, and supports by school

administrations and parents. Activities in the new curriculum require students uselearning materials substantially. Particularly, the implementations of the new curriculumin schools of low socio-economic districts give teachers hard time.

Social Studies:

Social studies begin at fourth grade and continues until eight grade. A total of 85 fourthand fifth grade teachers (out of 210) shared their thoughts about the implementation ofthe social studies curriculum. The teachers thought that contents were well organized tofoster students' understanding of social life of local, nationwide, and international level.Contents were also prepared to relate to contemporary life and problems. Students are

encouraged to take responsibility to reach knowledge and data and then use them. Whilestudents study some subjects and issues in the course, they learn how to make critics andthink critically or to look into events or issues from different perspectives. Therefore,students are equipped with the knowledge and skills that are necessary for living in ademocratic society. To summarize, all the teachers who taught social studies believed thatnew social studies curriculum provide opportunity for students to develop themintellectually and socially.


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Some of the teachers (24 out of 85) in this study criticized new social studies curriculumin terms of contents and activities. They pointed out that some of the activities in thecurriculum were not convenient for some districts. In addition, some activities wereuseless or too much for students.

Science and Technology:Teaching Science and Technology that is similar to social studies starts at fourth gradeand continues till eight grade in the Turkish primary schools. A total of 85 fourth andfifth grade teachers (out of 210) shared their thoughts about the implementation of thescience and technology curriculum. The teachers thought that the new curriculumchallenged teachers to use a variety of teaching methods and strategies. This policy isgood for students in terms of different learning styles. Moreover, contents of the courseare applicable and convenient for students. Therefore, they acquire course standards veryeasily. Students in Turkish School System have difficulty and hard time to gainknowledge and skills of mathematics and science. Most of the students in schools have

experiences of phobia in mathematics and science classes. The teachers in this studybelieved that the new curriculum help students to improve their understanding of scienceconcepts in an enjoyable environment.

Some of the teachers (22 out of 85) in this study pointed out that they had somedifficulties to implement the new curriculum because of lack of materials, sources, andcrowded classrooms. Particularly schools in rural areas do not have enough educationalmaterials and laboratories for science and technology classes. On the other hand, urbanschools have difficulties to get rid of crowded classrooms. Some class sizes go up to 60students. Furthermore, the new curriculum requires teachers to fill out lots of paper worksand forms about observing the development of students.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The process of teaching and learning is rooted in teacher, student, and curriculum.However, attention of society is always focused on the level of attainment of the desiredlearning objectives. All reform movements in educational history have been considered toincrease students' achievements. Curriculum is a crucial component for academicachievement. However, curriculum is employed by teachers. So teachers should beinformed about and believe in philosophical and psychological foundations ofcurriculum. Teachers' commitment to curriculum results in successful implementation ofcurriculum. Almost all teachers have positive attitudes about the new curriculum. These

results are meaningful for successful implementation of curriculum. However, theteachers in this study have confusion about the balance of "less vs more" design becauseteachers used to be responsible to apply "more vs less" design curriculum. Primary schoolteachers need to be informed through in-service education about the new curriculum.Otherwise, the new curriculum which was devoted a great amount of money and effortwill be teacher-centered and students memorize knowledge without meaningfulunderstanding like in the curriculum of 1968 (Tekisik, 2005).


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A main obstacle for implementation of the new curriculum is economical conditions.Schools struggle to handle financial problems. The new curriculum requires lots of paperworks and materials. Sometimes teachers confront administration officers to havefinancial support. Particularly, parents in low socioeconomic districts are not willing toshare or afford educational expenses. On the other hand, class size challenges teachers to

implement the new curriculum. Since Turkey has a high birth rate and migrationmovement from rural areas to urban areas in European Countries. As a result, schools andclassrooms are crowded. It is not easy to implement active learning and student-centeredstrategies in classrooms. To summarize, these problems should be solved to implementthe new curriculum successfully.

References

Best, J. W. & Kahn, J. V. (1989). Research in Education. Needham Heights, MA: Allynand Bacon.

Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1993). In Search of Understanding: The Case ForConstructivist. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD.

Eisner, E. W. (1994). Cognition and Curriculum Reconsidered (2nd edition). Alexandria,Va.: ASCD.

Harmin, M., & Toth, M. (2006). Inspiring Active Learning: A Complete Handbook ForToday's Teachers (2nd edition). Alexandria, Va.: ASCD.

Ornstein, A. C. & Hunkins, F. P. (1993). Curriculum: Foundations, Principles and Issues(2nd edition). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Tazebay, A. (2000). Ilkogretim Programlari ve Gelismeler: Program Gelistirme Ilke veTeknikleri Acisindan Degerlendirilmesi. Ankara: Nobel Yayin Dagitim Ltd. Sti.

Tekisik, H. H. (2005). Yeni Ilkogretim Programlarinin Uygulanmasina OgretmenlerinHazirlanmas ... Egitimde Yansimalar VIII: Yeni Ilkogretim Programlarini DegerlendirmeSempozyumu 14-16 Kasim 2005 Erciyes Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi, Kayseri. 11-16.Ankara: Tekisik Egitim Arastirma Gelistirme Vakfi Yayinlarihttp://programlar.meb.gov.tr

Religious beliefs in Turkey

Islam is the major religion in Turkey. About 97.4% of the Turkish population is Muslim, a majority of whombelong to the Sunni branch of Islam. A sizable minority is affiliated with the Alevi sect. The rest of thepopulation practices various forms of Christianity (Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac Orthodox,Chaldean Catholic, Church of the East), Judaism and Yezidism. There are many atheists as well.
http://programlar.meb.gov.tr/http://programlar.meb.gov.tr/


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Turkey is a strongly secular country and the military has often guarded the secular system, even gettinginvolved in politics to do so. The state has no official religion and the constitution recognizes freedom ofreligion for individuals. It also states that religion cannot be a part of the political process or education soreligious parties and faith-based schools are banned. However, religious sensibilities are generallyrepresented through conservative parties.

Turkey prohibits by law the wearing of religious headscarf and theo-political symbolic garments for both

genders in government buildings, schools, and universities.

Turkey

The Structure of the Turkish Science Curriculum

Author: M. Fatih Taarwas born in Turkey where he earned a B.S. and M.S. degree in

physics and earned his Ph.D. in science education at Pennsylvania State University. He

was involved in recent curriculum reform efforts in Turkey and has been a member of the

committee of science curriculum development for grades 4-8. He is a professor of

science education atGazi niversitesi, Ankara and actively involved in science teacher

education and science education research.

The sole authority in education in Turkey is the Ministry National of Education (MNE).

MNE has offices in each province. Provinces are divided into smaller township districts

for administrative purposes. Hence, school principals are responsible to township

directors, who, in turn, are responsible to the Minister of Education. Despite the recent

efforts to share and distribute the central power of the MNE to provincial directorates,

currently all the fundamental and strategic decision making, including staff recruitmentand dismissal, curricular issues, and opening new school buildings are made at the MNE

headquarters in Ankara. The eight years primary education is compulsory for all and

provided for free in public schools. A four year secondary education is also free in public

schools for anyone wishing to have further education.
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With the population of the country reaching 74 million in 2007 and continuing to increase

in the years ahead the number of children attending more than 34,600 primary schools is

10,847,000 according to recent statistics. A total of 3,400,000 students are enrolled in all

sorts of different secondary education schools. However, only 37% of them are enrolled

in vocational and technical secondary schools in a country where on the one hand there

exists a high unemployment rate for decades and on the other hand industry is often

complaining of inadequately qualified workers.

Science and Technology Education in Turkey

With the recent changes made in the curriculum a course titled Science and Technology

is offered in grades 4-8. A notable feature of the new curriculum is that technology

education is now being integrated into science education and in this way sharing the

higher status of the science course. Formerly, there existed a course named Work-

Technique for boys and another named Home Economics for girls. In the new curricula

there is now a separate course named Technology and Design.

The new primary science and technology curriculum has many characteristics: it has

seven learning areas with four content strands supported by skills, understanding and

attitudes; there is a spiral approach for each strand; mainly based on the constructivistapproach; enriched with teaching activities and multiple assessment methods and

techniques. The Seven Learning Areas are the following:

Physical Processes

Life and Living Beings

Matter and Change

The Earth and the Universe

Science Process Skills (SPS)

Science-Technology-Society-Environment (STSE)

Attitudes and Values (AV)

While the first four of these represent the content areas, the remaining three are

interwoven into them throughout the grades. Although, they are not included as separate
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units they are visible in all content area units. This approach clearly indicates the intent of

having pupils engaged in student-centered activities while learning the content. Learning

by doing is seen to be a central pillar of the new curriculum.

The structure of the curriculum is established so that students may bring their daily life

experiences into classrooms and, conversely, can take out their school experiences

outside the school. In order to realize this, several suggested activities are provided in

order to incorporate many related curricular outcomes to technology understandings.

The new curriculum, where appropriate, prompts teachers to such important student

misconceptions identified in the literature. Another purpose is to alert teachers to those

wide spread misconceptions since often times the teachers may have persistent

misconceptions themselves.

The new curriculum urges teachers and educators to use more formative learning

assessment and measurement techniques rather than usual paper and pencil tests. Among

the many alternative measurement methods and techniques that can be listed, the range

includes developing a student portfolio, group activities, and peer evaluation.

Change in the name of the course

Traditionally the science courses in primary education had been named science

knowledge. The curriculum development committee felt this name didnt include the

various aspects of science and that it misled students in that science is made up of only

theories. In order to make the curriculum reform more meaningful, a name change was

considered and the course is now named science and technology.

The units in the content strands

As mentioned above there are four content areas. Each one has several units folding out

as the years progress. The spiral character of the curriculum is also evident from this

table.

Weekly course hours


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Another big improvement was made in the weekly course hours with the new curriculum.

Science courses in grades 4-8 were given 3 class hours per week, but with the current

reform efforts the weekly hours were increased to 4 class hours per week. Currently, in

grades 4-8 pupils take 144 class hours of the science and technology course in each

grade. Here we should also mention that there is a separate course entitled design and

technology that is similar to the science and technology class, which is two hours per

week.

In Turkey one school year is two semesters of 18 weeks each. The school year and first

semester usually starts in mid-September and classes end for that semester around the end

of January. After a two week holiday, classes resume again in mid-February and the

school year and second semester ends in mid-June. Teachers have a paid two-weekseminar both before classes begin in September and after classes end in June. These

seminars are meant to give teachers preparation time. Each curricular department makes

their arrangements for their yearly activities in this period, as well.

Turkish secondary science curricula

There are different types of high schools in Turkey and the popular ones accept students

by an entry examination. Among them the so called Science and Anatolian highschools have greater success rates in the university selection and placement examinations.

The majority of high school students are enrolled in general type high schools. There

are four selection areas in the general and Anatolian type high schools for students to

determine their future specialization: Science, social sciences, Turkish-Mathematics, and

Foreign Languages. In the 9th grade students take common courses and in the subsequent

grades the weight of the courses are determined according to areas of specialization.

Thus, physics, chemistry, and biology are given 2 class hours per week in the 9th grade

for all high school students. In grade 10 the students who select science as their

specialization areas have these courses again 2 hours per week. In grades 11 and 12 the

number of class hours is increased to 3 for these courses. Students in other specialization

areas dont take these science courses in upper grades but they can take them as electives

if they wish to do so.


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To monitor the quality of education given in schools and classrooms there exists an

inspection system governed by the Ministry. Inspectors regularly visit classrooms and

give suggestions and ratings for each teacher and school. These official reports are then

submitted to their chiefs. There are five main categories of operation on which the

inspectors grade the teachers: guidance and on-the-job training, inspection and

evaluation, examination, investigation, and research. Teachers are also provided in-

service development opportunities at seven dedicated institutions nation-wide operated

by the MNE. The ministry often cooperates with university faculty members in designing

and running short term courses (one or two week) for teachers and inspectors. An

immense teacher development effort is being implemented throughout the country for the

renewed primary curricula and its approach to teaching and learning.

Science teacher education in Turkey

Teacher training in Turkey is done in faculties of education. There are 67 faculties of

education throughout the country and 46 of them have a science teaching program (for

grades 6-8). Since 1992 a separate science teaching program was established for middle

grades because the science courses in these grades include all sorts of science topics. It

was thought that when teachers certified in physics, chemistry, or biology teach these

courses they were more inclined to give emphasis to their own areas and often omitothers. Hence, it was deemed that there was a severe need for teachers certified to teach

multiple science topics.

In Turkey the usual practice is that a classroom teacher takes a class from grade 1 and

teaches them for 5 years until the end of grade 5. This places a large responsibility on

classroom teachers as these general education teachers are responsible for the scientific

education of their pupils. A resolution to this is being discussed is if it would be better to

have science teachers teach 4th and 5th science courses instead of classroom teachers.

Prospective primary teachers attend 4-year university programs in Turkey. Prospective

teachers of secondary education attend 5-year programs in faculties of education. Also,

graduates of faculties of arts and sciences can attend a masters program (3 semesters)


30/31

offered by faculties of education in order to become eligible for teaching. All the

prospective teachers have to pass a qualifying exam before getting employed by the

MNE. Although most universities have masters programs in education currently there are

only 9 universities offering PhD degrees in science education in Turkey.

The problems to solve

Currently, Turkey has not yet achieved a 100% schooling and literacy. Also, there is a

teacher deficit mainly in primary grades, although there is no shortage of teacher supply.

Another area that needs improvement is the large class sizes especially in the cities.

Decentralization, a research oriented approach to problems, and government investment

together with the encouragement and utilization of private investment in the area of

education will prove helpful and effective.


31/31

References

1. ^ zelli, M. Tun (January 1974). "The Evolution of the Formal Educational System andIts Relation to Economic Growth Policies in the First Turkish Republic". InternationalJournal of Middle East Studies (London: Cambridge University Press) 5 (1): 7792.

ISSN 0020-7438. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0020-7438%28197401%295%3A1%3C77%3ATEOTFE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G.2. ^ Guide For Foreign Students Who Wants To Education In Turkey3. ^ 2002 Report by Turkish Statistical Institute, Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey.4. ^ Dogan, Yonca Poyraz (2008-09-08). "Prof. Soysal: Most Turkish universities are still

autocratic". Today's Zaman. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=152458. Retrieved 2008-09-07. "Before law No. 2547, rectors wereappointed only by the president. Then upon the initiative of some of the universities,including Boazii University, the system was changed. Now there is a middle ground:Both voting by the faculty and YK are involved in the process. As a result, YK andthe president are involved in appointing rectors."

5. ^ "Rektrleri cumhurbakan sememeli". Radikal. 2008-08-27.

http://www.radikal.com.tr/Default.aspx?aType=Detay&ArticleID=895771&Date=28.08.2008&CategoryID=78. Retrieved 2008-08-28. "niversiteler yeniden yaplanrken rektrlerin seimi veya tayini ile ilgili yeni birusul olmas lazm. Bunlarda siyasi yar gibi seim olmamas lazm. nemli olan birniversitenin rekabetinin bymesinin gelimesinin ne alnmas lazm. Ben yeni birsistemin getirilmesini, cumhurbakannn hi bu ie karmamasn arzu ediyorum. Bukonuda hem hkmete hem meclise arda bulunmak isterim."

6. ^ Songn, Sevim (Feb 27, 2009). "Turkey evolves as creationist center". Hurriyet DailyNews. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11102743.asp?gid=244. Retrieved2009-03-17.

7. ^ "Turkish government rules out demands of Islamic sect Alevis" (in English).Hurriyet.2008-11-10.http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/10324957.asp. Retrieved 2008-

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the turkish education system was built in accordance with the atatürk reforms after the turkish w

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