Majority in Türkiye support reforming education system: Survey

ANKARA

A nationwide survey conducted by education unions in Türkiye has revealed overwhelming public support for reforming the country’s 12-year compulsory education system, especially the final four years of high school.

Released by the unions Memur-Sen and Eğitim-Bir-Sen, the study gathered responses from over 36,000 participants, including teachers, students and parents.

The findings showed a clear preference for restructuring the latter phase of compulsory education, with most participants saying that the current system does not meet the needs of students or the demands of the labor market.

Türkiye’s compulsory education system currently follows a “4+4+4” structure: Four years of primary school, four years of middle school and four years of high school. Introduced in 2012, the system made 12 years of education mandatory.

However, according to the survey, a large portion of teachers, school administrators, students and parents noted that the current compulsory education period should be shortened, especially the last four years.

Two alternative models for high school education emerged as the most favored among participants.

The most widely supported option suggested that the first two years of high school would be compulsory while the final two years would be optional.

The second popular proposal offered three years of mandatory education followed by one optional year.

In contrast, the current four-year mandatory high school model was backed by fewer than 10 percent of respondents in any group.