06.11.2007 - Source: European Commission

gender gap in education ("Turkey 2007 Progress Report [SEC(2007) 1436]") [ID 22376]

"As concerns education, the gender gap in primary education decreased to 4.6% in the 2006- 2007 school year from 5% in the 2005-2006 school year. The first phase of the campaign on education for girls conducted by the Ministry of National Education and UNICEF ended. Between 2004 and 2006 a total of 191,879 girls and 114,734 boys were integrated into primary education. A cash transfer scheme reinforced the campaign by providing direct income support to families. Private-sector and NGO campaigns aimed at increasing enrolment rates in primary and pre-school education continued.
[...]
However, the primary school enrolment rate remains at 90%. In the area of education, improved monitoring of progress and drop-outs, especially of girls from primary education, is needed. More efforts are needed to reduce regional disparities in schooling rates. Girls' enrolment in primary education has increased, but the gap in secondary education remains wide."

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2007 - Source: European Commission

Low participation in higher education ("Turkey 2007 Progress Report [SEC(2007) 1436]") [ID 22481]

"Participation in higher education remains low relative to international standards. Around 40% of 20 to 24 year olds had a secondary degree and about ten percent of school-age children are still not enrolled in primary schools. Reforms and increased spending on education are generating some positive impact on educational attainment, but significant problems pertain."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Law makes 8 years of secular education compulsory; after completing the 8 years, students may pursue study at imam hatip (Islamic preacher) high schools ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18515]

"A 1997 law made eight years of secular education compulsory. After completing the eight years, students may pursue study at imam hatip (Islamic preacher) high schools, which cover both the standard high school curriculum and Islamic theology and practice. Imam hatip schools are classified as vocational, and graduates of vocational schools face an automatic reduction in their university entrance exam grades if they apply for university programs outside their field of high school specialization. This reduction effectively bars imam hatip graduates from enrolling in university programs other than theology. Many pious citizens criticized the religious instruction provided in the regular schools as inadequate. Most families who enrolled their children in imam hatip schools did so to expose them to more extensive religious education, not to train them as imams.

In December 2005, the Education Ministry issued a regulation allowing imam hatip students to earn degrees from regular high schools by taking distance learning courses. However, the Higher Education Council objected to the regulation, and, in February 2006, the Council of State suspended the regulation pending a final ruling.

Only the Diyanet is authorized to provide religion courses outside of school, although clandestine private courses do exist. Students who complete five years of primary school may enroll in Diyanet Qur'an classes on weekends and during summer vacation. Many Qur'an courses function unofficially. Only children twelve and older may legally register for official Qur'an courses, and Mazlum-Der reported that law enforcement authorities often raided illegal courses for younger children."

Document(s): Open document

16.02.2006 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

School type discrimination ("Politischer Bericht; Türkei") [#44352], [ID 13213]

"Der Fall behandelt den Hochschulzugang für Absolventen der Predigerschulen (Imam- Hatip-Schulen). Der Lehrplan dieser Schulen sieht neben dem normalen Stundenplan anderer türkischer Gymnasien zusätzliche Fächer, wie Arabisch, Koranlesen, Exegese etc. vor. Die Ergebnisse der Hochschulzugangsprüfung dieser Absolventen, der als „Fachschulen oder Berufsfachsschulen“ bezeichneten Lehranstalten, werden mit einem geringeren Koeffizienten multipliziert, als die der Absolventen normaler Gymnasien. Die Änderung dieses Verfahrens war eines der wichtigsten AKP-Wahlversprechen. Bildungsminister Hüseyin Çelik gestand nun den Imam-Hatip-Absolventen die Möglichkeit zu, parallel zu ihrem Abschluss einen zweiten in einem „offenen Gymnasium“ (z.B. Abend- schule) ablegen zu können. Der Koeffizient des zweiten Abschlusses wäre dann Grundlage für das Hochschulzugangsverfahren. Die achte Kammer des Oberverwaltungsgerichts Ankara hat nun die Ausführungsbestimmungen des türkischen Bildungsministeriums aufgehoben, nachdem der Türkische Hochschulrat (YÖK) gegen dagegen geklagt hatte. Der zuständige Minister reagierte sehr überrascht auf dieses Urteil und kündigte an, alle rechtlichen Schritte gegen das Urteil zu prüfen."

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10.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Education System ("Country Report - October 2005") [#40563], [ID 13214]

"5.185 The USSD 2004 reported that:

“Government-provided education through age 14 or the eighth grade is compulsory. Traditional family values in rural areas placed a greater emphasis on education for sons than for daughters. According to the Ministry of Education, 95.7 percent of girls and 100 percent of boys in the country attended primary school; however, a UNICEF report released during the year indicated that, in the rural areas of some provinces, over 50 percent of girls between 7 and 13 and over 60 percent of girls between 11 and 15 did not attend school.” [5c] (Section 5)

5.186 On 22 February 2005 The Guardian reported that:

“The Turkish government is paying families to ‘encourage’ them to send their daughters to school, as part of its efforts to bring the number of girls in education into line with European standards. More than half of Turkey’s young female population has no schooling, according to the United Nations children’s fund, Unicef…Girls and women account for the vast majority of the 7 million people believed to be illiterate in the predominantly Muslim state. Under Turkey’s education minister, Huseyin Celik, this inequity has begun to be addressed. With the help of Unicef, some 140,000 girls aged between seven and 13 have been enrolled at school over the past 18 months. The campaign, which started in 10 towns, expanded into 53 of Turkey’s 81 provinces last year.” [38a]

5.187 The Guardian further reported that for the first time last year [2004], Turkey spent more on education than defence, allocating £5.5bn to the sector. [38a]

5.188 As recorded on the UNICEF website:

“Roughly one million girls of primary school age are not going to school in Turkey. The gender gap in primary education enrolment is 7% – about 600,000 more girls than boys. More than 50% of girls between 6 and 14 are out-of-school in some provinces. Haydi Kızlar Okula! – the girls’ education campaign in Turkey – addresses the complex range of economic and social factors that contribute to the non-attendance of girls at school. The campaign was launched by Carol Bellamy and Dr. Hüseyin Çelik, the Minister of National Education, in the eastern province of Van in June 2003. The goal of Haydi Kızlar Okula! is to close the gender-gap in primary school enrolment by the end of 2005 through the provision of a quality basic education for all girls in 53 provinces with the lowest enrolment rates.” [91]

5.189 As highlighted by UNICEF, the main barriers to girls’ education were the followings:

“Shortage of schools and classrooms; schools are often situated far from home and many parents do not want their children, especially girls, to travel far; parents do not want to send children to schools that are in a poor physical state with no toilets or running water; many families suffer economic hardship; the traditional gender bias of families favours the needs of men and boys over those of women and girls; the need to augment domestic income by keeping children at home to work; many parents consider the early marriage of their girls to be more important than their education; female role models in rural communities are scarce – or entirely absent; opportunities for secondary education are rare, discouraging interest at primary level.” [91]

5.190 As recorded in Turkey’s Statistical Yearbook 2004, in the education year 2003/2004, 90.57 per cent of males and 90.21 per cent of females were in primary education; in secondary education 50.24 per cent of males and 42.41 per cent of females and in higher education 14.18 per cent of males and 11.95 per cent of females. [89] (Section on Education and Culture)

5.191 The European Commission 2005 report noted that “Although eight years of education is mandatory, more than half a million girls do not attend school each year. In the Southeast, only 75.2% of girls are enrolled in primary education, while this figure is 91.8% for the whole country.” [71e] (p33)"

Document(s): Open document

20.04.2005 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Saleries in privat universities up to seven-times higher than public universities ("Politischer Bericht - Türkei") [#31650], [ID 13215]

"Staatliche Universitäten in der Türkei beklagen die „Flucht“ ihres wissenschaftlichen Personals zu den privaten Stiftungsuniversitäten.
Seit 1980 sollen 5.650 Akademiker eine neue Anstellung im privaten Hochschulbereich gefunden haben. Hauptgrund dieser Entwicklung sind die niedrigen Gehälter.

Während ein Professor an einer staatlichen Universität pro Unterrichtsstunde im Schnitt 9 YTL (ca. 5 Euro) verdient, kann der Verdienst für den gleichen Aufwand an einer Privatuniversität das Siebenfache betragen."

Document(s): Open document

15.02.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - European Commission against Racism and Intolerance

ECRE: Situation for religious education in schools ("Third report on Turkey: Adopted on 25 June 2004 and made public on 15 February 2005 [CRI(2005) 5]") [#30573], [ID 13216]

"In its second report, ECRI recommended that the Turkish authorities should no longer make religious education compulsory at school. The authorities have informed ECRI that there is currently a compulsory course in religious culture. The syllabus covers all religions and is chiefly designed to give pupils an idea of all existing religions. However, several sources have described these courses as instruction in the principles of the Muslim faith rather than a course covering several religious cultures. ECRI notes that only Muslim pupils are required to follow these courses, while pupils belonging to minority religious groups can be exempted. ECRI considers the situation unclear: if this is indeed a course on the different religious cultures, there is no reason to make it compulsory for Muslim children alone. Conversely, if the course is essentially designed to teach the Muslim religion, it is a course on a specific religion and should not be compulsory, in order to preserve children’s and their parents’ religious freedom.

Recommendations:

69. ECRI urges the Turkish authorities to reconsider their approach to instruction in religious culture. They should take steps either to make this instruction optional for everyone or to revise its content so as to ensure that it genuinely covers all religious cultures and is no longer perceived as instruction in the Muslim religion.



70. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne allows the religious groups concerned to have their own schools. However, ECRI notes that minority religious groups have difficulty in finding teachers or procuring a sufficient number of recent school textbooks. It would seem that the regulations governing these schools are particularly complex and make school management very difficult, to the extent of jeopardising the existence of some schools. Attention has been drawn to the strict rules governing the enrolment of pupils in schools on the basis of their religion. For example, the Turkish authorities supervising enrolment procedures in these schools apparently require that the father should be of the religion of the school in which the parents wish to enrol the child, irrespective of the mother’s religion.

Recommendations:

71. ECRI urges the Turkish authorities to look into the situation of schools belonging to minority religious groups. Existing deficiencies in legislation and practice should be identified through dialogue with the main players concerned and the necessary steps should be taken to ensure that these schools function properly, so as to protect the interests of the pupils attending them."

Document(s): Open document

24.01.2005 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Konrad Adenauer Fondation: new phase for education reform ("Politischer Bericht Türkei: Vor dem 13. außerordentlichen Parteikongress der Republikanischen Volkspartei (CHP) - Zusammenbruch oder Wende?") [#38694], [ID 13217]

"Die Ergebnisse der neusten Pisa-Studie bestätigten, was viele Experten schon lange befürchteten: Die Leistungen türkischer Schüler liegen im OECD-Vergleich weit unter dem Durchschnitt. Auf der Skala der 30 OECD-Staaten – insgesamt nahmen 41 Länder an dieser Studie teil - liegen die Leistungen der türkischen Schüler hinsichtlich Mathematik, Problemlösungen, Naturwissenschaften und Lesen jeweils auf Platz 28.

Auch ohne Pisa hatte das türkische Bildungsministerium schon vor einem Jahr mit wichtigen Reformen im Primarschulbereich begonnen, denen nun weitere folgen sollen. So soll das unentschuldigte Fehlen im Unterricht mit Nichtversetzung bestraft werden. Bisher wurde jeder Schüler im Sekundarschulbereich ohne Berücksichtigung seiner Leistung versetzt. Schüler der 10. und insbesondere 11. Klassen konnten bisher Monate entschuldigt fehlen, weil sie sich in den privaten Paukschulen (Dershaneler) auf die zentrale Hochschulzugangsprüfung vorbereiteten. Sie hatten lediglich ein ärztliches Attest vorzulegen und eine Versetzung war nicht gefährdet. Zudem müssen künftig die Schüler, die in zwei Fächern keine Punkte aufweisen, die Klasse wiederholen. Wer künftig bei Schulklausuren abschreibt oder betrügt, wird nicht mehr nur verwarnt, sondern erhält keine Punkte. Diese Regelung galt schon bei den Sekundarschulen und wird nun auch auf die Primarschulen übertragen.

Bedeutende Änderungen betreffen den Religionsunterricht in den Sekundarschulen. Das Bildungsministerium will neue Schulbücher für das Schuljahr 2005/6 erwerben und der Unterricht soll in ausgewählten Pilotregionen beginnen. Der Religionsunterricht, der nach wie vor unter dem Titel‚ Kenntnisse der Religionskultur und der Ethik’ firmiert, wird auf zwei Unterrichtsstunden wöchentlich heraufgesetzt und neben dem Sunnitischen Islam soll erstmals auch auf das Alewitentum eingegangen werden. Daneben werden ausführlicher als bisher auch das Christen- und Judentum sowie ostasiatische Religionen behandelt. Auf Inhalte der Bibel und der Thora soll eingegangen werden, wobei über unterschiedliche Glaubensinhalte noch keine abschließende Sprachregelung gefunden wurde. Im Koran steht z.B., dass Jesus Christus als Prophet zu Gott aufgestiegen ist. Laut der Bibel wurde er gekreuzigt. Strittig ist noch, ob dieser Religionsunterricht wie bisher Pflichtunterricht sein wird. Viele Eltern und Bildungsexperten wünschen sich diesen Unterricht als Wahlfach. Die Reformvorschläge wurden von 42 Wissenschaftlern theologischer Fakultäten und Vertretern der Alewiten für das Bildungsministerium ausgearbeitet. Eine entsprechende Gesetzesvorlage steht aber noch aus.

Die Änderungen im Curricula für den "Neueren Geschichtsunterricht" der Sekundarschulen werden mit dem Schuljahr 2005/6 schon gültig. Im überarbeiteten Geschichtsunterricht werden zum ersten Mal Ereignisse der jüngeren Geschichte der türkischen Republik aufgenommen. So werden die Schüler ab diesem Herbst auch Informationen zu den Eingriffen des türkischen Militärs 1960, 1972 und 1980, zum Übergang zum Mehrparteiensystem und dem NATO-Beitritt der Türkei erhalten. Bildungsminister Hüseyin Çelik verwies auf die Bedeutung solcher Lehrinhalte. „Wir müssen unseren Kindern doch mitteilen, welche Auseinandersetzungen Ende der 70er Jahre letztlich zum Putsch der Militärs geführt haben, und dass es danach zu einem umfangreichen Entpolitisierungsprozess gekommen war, oder über die Gründe für die Hinrichtung des ehemaligen Ministerpräsidenten Adnan Menderes. Nur so können wir verhindern, dass noch einmal die gleichen Fehler gemacht werden, wir müssen unsere jungen Generationen mit der jüngsten Vergangenheit konfrontieren“.

Das von Hüseyin Çelik angekündigte umfangreiche Lehrerfortbildungsprogramm nimmt mittlerweile konkrete Züge an. Von 43.000 Schulen wurden mittlerweile 17.800 an das Internet angeschlossen. Mit der staatlichen Vakıfbank wurde eine Vereinbarung zur Finanzierung von Computern für die Lehrer unterzeichnet. Dieses Projekt wird von Microsoft Türkei unterstützt. Die Türkei steht aber noch vor weiteren großen Herausforderungen im Bildungsbereich. Nach einer Untersuchung der Gewerkschaft im Bildungssektor „Eğitim-sen“ wären noch immer 30% der Schulkinder über sechs Jahre ohne Schulabschluss. Nach der letzten Volkszählung aus dem Jahre 2000 lebten in der Türkei ca. 60 Millionen Menschen über 6 Jahre. Davon seien noch immer 12,7% Analphabeten, 37% hätten nur einen Grundschulabschluss und nur 3,5% einen Universitätsabschluss. Obwohl es vier Millionen Kinder im Kindergartenalter gebe, besuchten davon nur 435.000 eine Kindertagesstätte. 91% der Türken hätten keine Vorschulausbildung.

Trotz achtjähriger Grundschulpflicht würden 737.000 Kinder keine Schulausbildung beginnen, 30% davon seien Mädchen. Viele Eltern dieser Kinder würden eine Arbeitstätigkeit der Schulausbildung vor ziehen, aber in einigen Regionen ständen auch keine Schulen in einer ausreichenden Zahl zur Verfügung. 1.400 bisher geschlossene Schulen in den ländlichen Regionen wurden wieder geöffnet."

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19.05.2004 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Controversial reform of academic council ("Heftige Kontroversen über die Reform des Türkischen Hochschulrates") [#22501], [ID 13218]

Document(s): Open document
Open document

10.2002 - Source: UK Home Office

UK Home Office: Education system ("Country Assessment - October 2002") [#9887], [ID 13219]

".107 In 1995, according to UNESCO, the rate of adult illiteracy was 18% (males 8.3%, females 27.8%). Legislation that took effect in September 1997 increased the duration of compulsory primary education from five to eight years, for children between six and 14 years of age. All state education up to university or higher institute levels is co-educational and provided free of charge. The number of primary schools reached 45,112 in 1998, and about 9.6 million children were enrolled at primary schools. In 1996 enrolment at primary schools included 99% of children in the relevant age-group. Secondary education, which lasts for at least three years, may be undertaken in general high schools/lycées, in open high schools or in vocational and technical high schools. In 1996 enrolment at secondary schools included 51% of children in the relevant age-group (males 59%, females 43%). A state examination must be passed by high school students wishing to proceed to a university or to an institute of higher education. In 1998 there were 1222 institutes of higher education (including universities, teacher-training colleges and other technical and vocational institutions), attended by 1.5 million students. In 1997 central government expenditure on education was about 11.2% of total spending. [1(a)] See also paras 6.172 and 6.175 of this assessment.

5.108 Schoolchildren are taught to respect above all the ideal of the "indivisible unity" of the Turkish nation. According to the Basic Law of National Education (1973, amended 1989) "The overall objective of the Turkish national education system is to train all members of the Turkish nation: 1. As citizens who believe in Atatürk's reform and principles and Atatürk's concept of nationalism as expressed in the Constitution; who endorse, protect, and develop the national, moral, humanitarian, spiritual and cultural values of the Turkish nation, who care for and tirelessly promote their families, country and nation." The text at the front of every school textbook in Turkey manifests the essential ethos: "I am Turkish. I am upright. I am industrious. My aim is to protect little ones and to respect adults, to respect my Motherland and my Nation, to love my Nation with all my heart. I will advance the State and move it forward. You are the great Atatürk. We will continue to walk in the way you have shown us. I promise I will do this. I will sacrifice myself for the existence of Turkey. How happy is he who calls himself a Turk.""

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27.03.2002 - Source: UN Human Rights Council (formerly UN Commission on Human Rights)

Special Rapporteur on the rights to education ("Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the right to education: Economic, social and cultural rights (E/CN.4/2002/60/Add.2)") [#10410], [ID 13220]

"Lacking human rights safeguards for the acceptability of education were brought to the
Special Rapporteur’s attention throughout her mission. Headscarves have become a symbol of
the underlying controversy regarding secularism and freedom of religion, but the discriminatory
impact of exclusion from education on girls and women wearing headscarves is not being
addressed. Language engenders even more controversy, also overshadowing its human rights
dimensions. Mother-tongue education is in the best interest of non-Turkish-speaking children so
as to enable them to exercise their right to education in the education system, whose language of
instruction is Turkish. Decision-making on the teaching and learning of foreign languages, has
been, in the case of Kurdish, dwarfed by national-security concerns. Introducing the human
rights approach would, in the Special Rapporteur’s view, facilitate solving underlying problems."

Document(s): Open document
hcr-tur270302-educ..pdf

27.03.2002 - Source: UN Human Rights Council (formerly UN Commission on Human Rights)

Special Rapporteur on the rights to education: Education should be “in line with the principles and reforms of Atatürk” ("Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the right to education: Economic, social and cultural rights (E/CN.4/2002/60/Add.2)") [#10410], [ID 13221]

"71. The 1982 Constitution laid down specific provisions on the values which education
should - and should not - espouse. Its article 42 stipulates that education should be “in line with
the principles and reforms of Atatürk”. This thrust has not been altered. Turkey’s 2000
Education for All Assessment repeated this orientation, pointing out as the key duty of the
Ministry of Education that of “raising citizens loyal to Atatürk’s reforms and principles and
Atatürk nationalism”. This begins in pre-school education, whose emphasis includes “Türkiye
the motherland, Turkish nation, Atatürk”. In December 2000 the Ministry of Education
provided the following guidance in relation to school textbooks: “In the preparation and
implementation of textbooks in our education system of all grades and types and in all
educational activities, Atatürk’s Reforms and Principles and Atatürk Nationalism as expressed in
the Constitution shall be taken as the basis. Importance is attributed to protecting, developing
and teaching the authentic national morality and culture without corruption within the universal
culture. ... [P]olitical and ideological provocations against Atatürk nationalism as expressed in
the Constitution and participation in daily political affairs and discussions of this kind shall never
be allowed.” It is difficult to understand what the reference to “corruption within the universal
culture” could mean and what implications it could have for the universality of human rights.
Banning “political and ideological provocations against Atatürk nationalism” also does not yield
itself to easy comprehension; this restriction may well constrain the freedom to articulate
different visions of history and the future. The Special Rapporteur has emphasized many times
the need to apply the human rights approach in addressing controversies relating to the content of
school textbooks."

Document(s): Open document
hcr-tur270302-educ..pdf