TURKISH SCHOOL EDUCATION

After the change from the Ottoman to the Turkish Republic many reforms in education were made.  Education was deemed a top priority and has been granted the largest budget of any ministry for schools in Turkey.  The objective of the Turkish education 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 is thought to be instrumental in making the Turkish nation a creative and distinguished member of the modern world.  Schooling is compulsory for eight years for every child from the age of seven to 15. 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 population of Turkey is very large and often school buildings and teachers are insufficient to cope. The result is two sessions of school, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The average number of students in each classroom is 20 to 40, but in some rural areas, where there are not sufficient teachers, even more students have to fit into the same classroom.

Pre-school is available on a private basis or with public sector facilities. However, this level of education is not yet common and is mostly limited to the big cities.  Increasingly, there are also private schools in the towns.

Fees for public education are charged for college and university.  There are around 80 universities, both government-funded and private, and students are admitted through a central placement system.

There are many international schools, particularly the international school Istanbul and Ankara.