Ministry abolishes written exams in primary schools

ANKARA

In a recent major shift, the Education Ministry has announced the abolition of written examinations at the primary school level, replacing them with a system predicated on the periodic evaluation of students' performance.

With the nearly 20 million students returning to their schools on Sept. 11, in lieu of conventional assessments, primary schools have adopted a multifaceted approach to gauge student development, encompassing individual and group-based activities conducted under the expert guidance of educators, observational forms tracking participation in experiential activities, game-based assessments, and instruments designed to measure the fulfillment of assigned tasks.

Furthermore, in a bid to preserve and enhance the Turkish language, a biennial Turkish language exam in four skills will be held to monitor students' progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Additionally, at the middle and high school levels, written exams will be held on common dates, with certain institutions adhering to identical examination content.

Post-examination analyses will be undertaken to identify areas where students may require additional support.

The recent decision of the ministry on the elimination of the written exams in primary schools received positive feedback. Education expert Muhammet Baştuğ stated that the term examination is incongruent with the pedagogical essence of primary education and appears to induce anxiety among students.

"When we scrutinize the fundamental purpose and scope of primary education, it becomes evident that traditional examinations are incongruous. In this regard, the abolition of primary school examinations is a salutary development from both a functional and pedagogical standpoint."