Turkish Education

About Turkey INSTITUTIONS OF TURKISH EDUCATION FOR FOREIGNERS  The responsibility of executing Turkish National Education in accordance with the basic principles and in the name of the government is charged to the Ministry of National Education.  The central organizations of the Ministry as the ministry position, Council of Educational Policy, the main service units, information and supervision units are shaped in accordance with the sub service unit hierarchy.  The National Education System determined by the law is executed in two main basic movements called “Normal Education” and “Common Education”.  The Normal Education: This method of education is the education executed regularly under the roof of school with the objectively prepared programs to the individuals with the determined age group and equals and includes the associations of pre – school, primary school, senior school and high school.  The pre – school period education; This education is not obligatory and dependent on the will and includes the children of the 3 – 5 age group that do not reach to the period of obligatory education age in order to create a common environment for the children for preparation for primary education.  The primary education covers the education of the children between the ages of 6 – 14 for an eight year continuous period, is obligatory for each citizen, the education at the state schools are not charged and the graduates receive a primary education diploma.  The senior education covers the entire general, professional and technical institutions having minimum three-year education period and is dependent on the primary education. Besides the deliverance of minimum common culture values, the students are prepared for the higher education where the education should be directed to their interests, skills and capacities.  The higher education is dependent on the senior education and covers the totality of the education institutions executing the higher education for a minimum period of two years. These institutions could be counted as universities, faculties, and institutes, high schools and application and research centers.  The higher education executed at these institutions is arranged in an integrity scope instructing the students at levels of associate arts and bachelors degree and Bachelor of Science degree.  Common Education: The common education aims the execution of the education according to the demands of the citizens whom are never been educated or left or remained at any level of education and covers the all of the activities arranged with or without the Normal education. The common education could be classified as education of the folk, apprenticeship education and abroad education.  Following the academic year of 1999-2000, the number of the schools according to their ranks of the education institutions is 65 905 and the number of the students is 15 727 929 and the number of the teachers is 532 595.  The total number of the students educating in the higher education institutions (1999-2000 academic year, together with the official universities and cognizant universities) is 2 millions 788 thousand and 252. 430 thousand and 219 of this total number is registered students of associate of arts, 2 million 358 thousand and 033 is the registered students of the bachelors degree. The total number of the academic personnel and education staff at the mentioned universities for the same year is 125 thousand and 345. 433 thousand and 380 of this number states the academic personnel and the remaining 81 thousand and 965 of this number states the other various education staff.  The Organization at Foreign Countries serves the citizens accommodating in foreign countries with 39 agencies; 21 education consultancies and 18 education representatives.  The number of the Turkish students educating at the normal education institutions at 1999 -2000 academic year in foreign countries is 867 thousand and 095. The total number of the students educating in foreign countries with official or private sponsorship is 29 thousand and 196, 21 thousand and 282 of which are attending the bachelor’s degree, 5 thousand and 458 of which are attending to master degree and 2 thousand and 456 of which are attending to doctor degree.  And in the scope of the cooperation with the Central Asian Republics and Turkish Communities in the field of education initiated by the Ministry of the National Education, the Ministry had constructed 12 schools and education centers at Central Asian Republics, six of which educate in Turkish Language applied in Turkey. There are 246 teachers educating 3 thousand and 721 students at this centers and schools. In accordance with the quota granted to these Republics, there are 8 thousand and 064 students educating in Turkey.  Turkey had signed educational, scientific and cultural agreements with 71 foreign countries and relevant studies are still executed.  As education is visualized as the major element of the economic, technologic and social improvement in Turkey, education sector is among the most prior sectors among the government and improvement plans. Therefore, the Major Education Plan covering the years between 1996-2010 was prepared and the flexibilization of the education which could answer the individual, national and international demands and by the assistance of the attained means, it was planned to reach to the high intellectual level. Therefore, the belief of training more Turkish people, which could assist the culture and technology of the world, strengthens each day.