Minister unveils series of changes in education

ANKARA

With the start of the new academic year just around the corner, Education Minister Yusuf Tekin has announced a series of new regulations, including the reintroduction of grade retention in high schools, tightening the transition to distance education and measures on students' school attendance.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Ankara on Aug. 16, Tekin stated that as a result of regular meetings with teachers since assuming his office in June, some critical changes have been made, especially at the high school level, based on the feedback received from these meetings.

Addressing the rise in preference for distance learning among senior high school students due to the pandemic and the Feb. 6 earthquakes, Tekin noted that his ministry will tighten the conditions for transitioning from traditional to distance education.

Recent studies indicated that 9 percent of Turkish high school students now opt for distance learning to better prepare for university entrance exams.

Touching upon the flexibility introduced during the pandemic regarding the number of absences a student can take in a term, Tekin stated, “There wouldn't be any leniency this year.”

The practice of grade repetition, which had been suspended for a long time, will be reintroduced if a student falls short in meeting the absence criterion or fails to achieve the expected academic performance.

Addressing his ministry’s efforts in the earthquake-affected region, Tekin announced the smooth resumption of education in all 11 quake-hit provinces this year, highlighting that approximately 45,000 classrooms have been repaired.

Stating that they organized optional make-up programs in the summer months to compensate for the learning losses of students in the earthquake region, Tekin noted they witnessed intense participation in these programs.

Reminding that these optional programs will be completed as of Sept. 1, Tekin announced that as of Sept. 11, a compulsory four-week compensatory education program will start for students in all of the quake-hit provinces in the region.