Turkish impoverished children have inability to receive pre-school education: OECD

Önder Öndeş – ISTANBUL

Children in Turkey have inadequate access to pre-school education, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has stated in a new report on inequality in education.

The “Education Opportunities for Everyone” report cited Turkey alongside Ireland, Chile and Poland as lagging behind in access to pre-school education for poor children.

The OECD made three suggestions that aim to reduce inequality in education of the countries, stressing the importance of pre-school education on the development of children’s cognitive, social and emotional skills.

Obstacles in front of countries on the issue include cost, lack of information about pre-school education, lack of good education institutions, and distance from home.

The report also stressed the importance of detecting struggling, low-performing poorer students and supporting them, in addition to giving more support to schools disadvantaged areas.

In particular, the report highlighted the importance of “uninterrupted education,” stating that schools giving up on students at a young age increases educational problems when the students become adults and move into the world of work.

The report warned that many students are leaving school without getting basic reading and numerical skills, while stressing that employment conditions for disadvantaged adults should also be improved.