Cram schools bill to ‘affect’ 40,000 workers

ANKARA

There are 1.22 million students studying at 3,550 dersanes, which employ 53,000 teachers and 14,000 support staff in Turkey, according to the latest data.

Education Minister Nabi Avcı has acknowledged that a bill envisioning the “transformation” of private cram schools (dersanes) may have an impact on close to 40,000 personnel working at the schools.

According to the latest information, there are 1.22 million students studying at 3,550 dersanes, which employ 53,000 teachers and 14,000 support staff, Avcı said late Feb. 26 in response to questions from lawmakers at a General Assembly meeting where the bill was debated.

The number of staff in administrative positions and who have already served longer than four years is 39,870, Avcı said, noting these people were likely to be affected by the bill to “transform” the schools.

When the bill is recorded in the Official Gazette, cram schools will be closed down – or “transformed” as termed by the government – while the senior-level bureaucratic administration at the Education Ministry will be entirely changed, with the exception of the undersecretary. 

According to the bill, the terms for principals and deputy principals will be set at four years. Accordingly, principals and deputy principals who have been in office for four years or longer on the date when the bill goes into effect will automatically be relieved of their duties.

Senior edication officials to lose jobs

A number of officials are set to lose their jobs with the changes, including the president and members of the Board of Education and Discipline (TTK), deputy undersecretaries, director generals, strategy development directors, group directors of construction and real property departments and anyone with the title “group director” – all of whom are based at the headquarters of the Education Ministry, as well as those who hold the title of “provincial directors” in all provincial bodies of the ministry.