27 percent of high-school-age students in Turkey ‘not in formal education’

Nuran Çakmakçı - ISTANBUL

Some 27 percent of all high-school-age students in Turkey are not registered in formal education, a report by the Ankara-based non-governmental organization TEDMEM has revealed. 

One of the most striking findings of the report, which was prepared to assess the overall education situation in Turkey in 2017, is the high number of students registered in “distance learning” high schools.

According to the report, 1.6 million students are currently enrolled in “distance learning” high schools, which accounts for 27 percent of all high-school-age students. The number of female students is 652,812 and the number of male students is 902,126.

The report warns that “distance learning” high schools should only be seen as an option in exceptional cases, despite the tendency to view them as part of the formal education system, underlining the necessity to review the education system.

The last five years have seen a 65-percent increase in the number of students enrolled in “distance learning” high schools. Some 84,000 students were enrolled in “distance learning” high schools in the 2017-18 education year, according to the report.

In the report, one reason given for the increase is a lack of measures in place to prevent the trend towards “distance learning” high schools. “Distance learning” high schools have even been promoted over formal education, the report noted.