Education system will change, says minister

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Multiple choice questions will be removed from the university examinations in near future with the upcoming changes, Minister of Education Nabi Avcı said.

There are changes brewing for the education system in Turkey, including new regulations that are set to remove multiple-choice questions and examinations, according to the Turkish Education Minister Nabi Avcı.

Speaking at a school in Ankara as part of an education forum, Avcı told the participants that they aimed at “saving children from the troubles of examinations.”

“We are working on a new system to save children from the troubles of examinations, and from a multiple-choice system,” Avcı said.

“We believe that a system that works through open-ended questions will be healthier. We are continuing our work in the area.”

Officials are thinking of ways to incorporate extracurricular actives and performances into the new system, but such a structural change cannot be accomplished within a single year, Avcı added.

The first phase of the national University Entrance Examination (YGS) was held on March 24 this year, with a total of 1,851,326 students sitting the exam. The exam was conducted across Turkey and North Cyprus in 167 exam centers and in 100,452 rooms.

Students who scored over 180 points are qualified to enter the decisive student placement exam, LYS, in June. There will be five different LYS exams, corresponding to different educational branches.

Turkey has to reformulate its education system if it wishes to keep up a sustainable societal and economic development,

Avcı added, that should include all individuals and allow everyone to access quality education.
“We need to say new things in the field of education, before anywhere else,” Avcı said.

Education cannot be considered separately from the economy or the society, Avcı said, adding, “Education politics cannot be separated from politics of a societal or economic nature.

“We have to make big decisions on education here in Turkey today, and make choices,” he added.