1. The historical background
2. The history of the Turkish educational system
3. The basics of the Turkish educational system
4. The different stages of education
    4.1 Pre-school training
    4.2 Primary school
    4.3 Junior High School
    4.4 The Anatolian High School and the Anatolian Imam and Preacher High School
    4.5 The Lyceum, High School or Secondary Education
5. Conclusion
 

The Turkish Republic was established on October 29, 1923. Parliament chose Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (formerly known as Mustafa Kemal Pascha) to be the first president of the new republic. Many far reaching reforms were undertaken by Atatürk such as the separation of state and church, equal rights for woman and western influence on education, language and fashion.
He concentrated on the liberal and republican elements and institutions in Europe and introduced these influences into the Islamic culture and civilization of the Ottoman Empire.
 

In the early twenties, this "Kemalic" revolution not only defined a huge change in society but also resulted in a change to the Turkish educational system. Before this revolution, the educational system was largely based on the classic school system where Islamic subjects like the study of the Koran and traditions took a central place. Subjects like mathematics were only taught at High School or at the Lyceum.
In 1928 the Arabic script was abolished because it did not meet the phonetics of the Turkish language. This was followed by the introduction of the Latin script. A purge of the Turkish language was also introduced followed by the so-called "oztürkce" (pure Turkish). Words of Persian or Arabic origin were replaced by Turkish words. Through these methods, the new national ideology and the new national educational system took shape. It also laid the basis for the reduction of illiteracy among the Turkish population.
Through the reformations of Atatürk, the Turkish school system took shape in a very detailed way. He basically laid the foundations and one can put the essential principles of the Turkish educational system down to him. Since the new lay-out of the educational system, subsequent Turkish governments have put great value into the expansion of education. This can be seen from the following statistics:
In 1960 a total of around 1.6 million children were taught in 17,100 primary schools. In 1985 the total amount of primary schools had increased to 49,000 with a total of 6.6 million children.
But the development of the high schools highlights even more the priority that has been given to education:
In 1950 there were 88 higher education schools with 21,000 students. In 1981 there were 1,166 high schools for 530,000 students and in 1985 these numbers had increased to 1,300 high schools with around 628,000 students.
The higher education system needed to be developed from scratch as Turkey had no European styled universities before Atatürk started his reforms. Up to the beginning of the eighties, 310 institutions like universities, vocational high schools and academies were established in Turkey where students could take subjects like technology, pedagogy and theology.
 

The main aim of Turkish education is to "nurture everyone in the Turkish state as an individual" (The Development of Education in Turkey, Republic of Turkey, Ministry of National Education).
The main aim of her young citizens needs to be the making of the Turkish nation as a creative and distinguished member of the modern world.
The educational laws are based on the constitution. According to the Turkish ministry of National Education these laws are drawn up in the following articles:
-article 10: statutory equality
-article 24: freedom of religion and belief
-article 42: rights and obligations to education
The essential principles are:
-all schools are subject to the Turkish Ministry of Education and are legally obliged to follow the national curriculum.
-the first five school years are compulsory (since August 1997 this has been extended to eight years). After that compulsory education finishes and education can be continued on a non-compulsory basis.
-the wearing of a school uniform is compulsory.
-girls should wear their long hair tied up and boys should have their hair cut short.
-the wearing of a headscarf is prohibited with the exception of the Anatolian Imam and Preacher High Schools.
 

Firstly toddlers from the age of 0-36 months (0-3 years) can go to a day nursery. The main aim of this first stage is to improve the linguistic, physical and moral development of the children and to guarantee healthy nutrition. In this context, the following goals have been drawn up:
-the development of adequate expression skills
-experience of the environment
-to guarantee good health, safety and proper nutrition of the child
-development of all senses
-toilet training
-support of a proper physical development

Secondly children from the age of 37-60 months (4 -5 years) can go to kindergarten. This stage is not compulsory either. In kindergarten the following will be encouraged:
-proper use of the Turkish language
-preparatory work on reading and writing
-tidiness
-experience of the environment
These essential basic skills need to be accomplished at kindergarten as a preparation for the next stages of education

Thirdly there is a final stage, the so-called pre-school year. Pre-school classes are only available in areas where the infrastructure allows them to be sustained. Children from the age of 61-72 months (6 years) will again be intensively prepared during this year for their transition to primary school. This "training year" is once again optional.
 

Primary school follows pre-school and kindergarten and takes five years. Children will usually start primary school at the age of six or seven.
The curriculum consists of the following subjects:
-the Turkish language
-sociology
-physics
-social studies
-sports
-religion and ethics
-art
-music
-work - training
-society & environment, health, traffic, reading & writing (*)
(*) these subjects are being alternated every week: in the first week it is society & environment, in the second week health....and in the fifth week it is back to society and environment.
From the first to the fifth school year onwards the total amount of lessons always adds up to thirty hours. One school year contains 190 school days. The five years of primary school are compulsory (since August 1997 this also applies to the subsequent three years of Junior High School). After that the students can leave school, but there are no post-school apprenticeships available as we know them. Students who give up school after primary school and Junior High School - and that applies to the majority of students - usually start working in their parent's businesses, which requires no special training, so that they can support their parents financially. Especially in the poor rural areas, students will attend school for only eight years.
 

Since August 1997, every student will attend Junior High School after primary school, unless the student prefers to attend an Anatolian High School or the Anatolian Imam and Preacher High School (see 4.4).
These last two types of High School perfectly link up and continue education after primary school. All other students will attend Junior High School for a period of three years and then leave school or continue their studies for another three or four years, depending on which type of school, at a High School.
The subjects that are taken at Junior High School are the same as at primary school, with the following subjects added:
-one or more foreign languages
-history of Turkey
-geography of Turkey
-history of the Turkish Republic and the reforms by Atatürk
-politics
Furthermore, subjects like society & environment, health, traffic, reading & writing and social studies are dropped so that the total amount of hours per week remains at thirty.
The Junior High School is often situated in the same building as the primary school. Both types of schools form a unity: the so-called primary education.
 

These two types of high school perfectly link up and continue after five years of primary school.
The Anatolian High School implements the same curriculum in the first couple of years as the Junior High School. The higher classes (year 9-11) follow the same curriculum as the normal Turkish State High Schools (General High school). However, a large part of the subject-matter is taught in a foreign language. This makes it therefore necessary to add a preparatory year (year 6) in which a foreign language will be exclusively taught for the duration of one year (depending on the school this can be English, German or French). Furthermore one needs to sit a state exam which is often recognised as a test of ability. The Anatolian High School takes a total of seven years (one preparatory year and the years 6-11).
At the Anatolian Imam and Preacher High School, the focus of the curriculum lies on religious and scientific matters. For example, subjects like "The life of Mohammed", Islamic theology, calligraphy but also subjects like information technology, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, etc. are taught at this High School. Also at this school, a large part of the subjects is taught in a foreign language. Therefore all subjects in the sixth year (the first school year) are exclusively taught in a foreign language. One also has to sit an "ability test". The Anatolian Imam and Preacher High School is the only school where students are allowed to wear the traditional headscarf. That is why this school is so popular, especially in the rural areas where the headscarf is still worn on a large scale. The Anatolian Imam and Preacher High School takes one year longer than the Anatolian High School, eight years to be precise (one preparatory year and the years 6-12).
After a successful graduation from one of these two schools, one still has the option to begin studying at university.
 

In the larger cities like Istanbul and Izmir, students normally have a relatively larger choice of various follow-up studies. In the rural areas and in the east of the country there is usually only a simple state High School available, which doesn't enjoy a very high status among the population. High Schools in Turkey can in some ways be compared with schools for secondary education that we know. After year eight, students can choose those subjects that they will specialize in. This choice will determine the study direction they will be able to follow later on in life. For example, a student who has chosen the study path of sociology or social studies will not be able to study medicine later on in the future.

There are six study paths:

a. Scientific path (including biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics as compulsory subjects)
b. Sociology/Social studies (including the Turkish language, history and geography as compulsory subjects)
c. Turkish/Mathematics (including the Turkish language and mathematics as compulsory subjects)
d. Languages (including the Turkish language and one foreign language as compulsory subjects)
e. Art (including the Turkish language and drawing as compulsory subjects)
f. Art (including the Turkish language and music as compulsory subjects)
g. Sports (including gymnastics and biology as compulsory subjects)

At the end of the High School period, one must sit an exam. If the student passes this exam successfully, it will enable him/her to start studying at university in their previously chosen path. The higher the marks for the exam, the shorter their study at university will be. Moreover, a student with high marks for this particular exam will have a better chance of being admitted to an excellent university. If the student fails the exam, he/she will not be able to graduate. In the following year, the student will have the option to resit the exam. In the meantime the student can decide him/herself what he/she would like to do. There is an opportunity for the student to follow lessons that will help him/her to prepare for the resit. These lessons are however optional.
 

A selection of German schools in Turkey

1. Private school of the German Embassy in Ankara
TR- P.K. 54 06551 Çankaya-Ankara
Tel.: 0090-312466 49 00
0090-312426 63 82
Fax: 0090/312-426 45 57
E-mail: dsankara@tr.net  

2. Alman Lisesi Istanbul Turkey
Özel Alman Lisesi German School Istanbul
Sahkulu Bostan Sok. No. 20
TR-80050 Beyoglu - Istanbul
Tel.: 0090-212-245 1390
0090-212-245 1391
Fax: 0090-212-252 2210
E-mail: verwaltung@ds-istanbul.de  
Internet: http://www.s.shuttle.de/dsi-tr  

3. Istanbul Lisesi Turkey
Istanbul Lisesi
Türk Ocagi Sok. 51
34440 Cagaloglu Istanbul
Tel.: 0090/212/ 5140168
Fax: 0090/212/ 5140168
E-mail: aulinger@attglobal.net  
Internet: http://www.dasan.de/istanbul-lisesi  
http://www.s.shuttle.de/istanbul-lisesi  

4. TAKEV German-Turkish School
Yenikale Mah.
Burak Sok. No:2
Narlidere Izmir
Tel.: 0090/232/239 62 22 - 239 62 32
Fax: 0090/232/238 96 59
E-mail: info@takevokulu.k12.tr  

Source: www.auslandsschulwesen.de  

Source: Türkdünya,
"Das Schulsystem der Turkei"
by Jenny Schwarte