Illegal training courses spread as exams approach

ISTANBUL

The number of high school and university exam preparation courses that do not comply with the regulation under the name of publishing house or personal development courses is on the rise as less than five months remain before the exams.

The illegal institutions, usually founded by a few teachers, claimed to prepare students for exams though they operate under the name of publishing house or personal development course, do not comply with the rules set in the regulation and do not pay taxes.

Istanbul, especially the central points of Şişli, Kadıköy, Beşiktaş and Bakırköy districts, host hundreds of these “exam preparation courses.”

Some carry out their activities under different names such as a foreign language center, study center or workshop, while the courses located in office buildings and apartments don’t have any signs that reads the institution’s name. They find their students through social media ads and referrals.

Moreover, some sects and associations also offer free courses or “study environments” for students. Among them are those who organize overnight programs under the name of camps.

The courses’ fees vary depending on the service they provide while the preparation packages of some also include practice exams, personalized programs, consultancy support, and additional lessons and studies.

The average annual fees range between 5,000 and 50,000 Turkish Liras. Furthermore, the fees of the courses that “provide VIP support” may exceed 150,000 liras.

Noting that the number of illegal courses is two or three times more than the number of official courses, İbrahim Taşel, the head of the All Private Education Institutions Association (TÖDER), said, “Parents need to be very careful in choosing courses. This is very important both in terms of national security and taxation. It would be better to regulate and control the legal processes of these courses.”

According to the statistics of the Education Ministry, there are nearly 2,500 private education courses in the country, while more than 8,200 others are operating under different names.