Private school tuitions soar nationwide
Zülal Atagün – İZMİR
A number of private schools across Türkiye have disclosed early enrollment fees for the upcoming academic year, with some charging over 1 million Turkish Liras (around $28,177), marking a sharp increase and stirring growing alarm among parents.
Türkiye boasts more than 12,000 private educational institutions, providing about 1.5 million students with education.
For the upcoming academic year, these increased fees at private institutions specifically apply to first, fifth and ninth grade students, who represent key educational transitions in Türkiye’s 12-year mandatory schooling system, which is divided into three levels.
However, for other educational levels, private schools must obey the Education Ministry’s rule that forbids any increase exceeding the figure obtained by dividing the sum of the previous year's PPI and CPI by two and adding five points. This corresponds to an increase of at most 54.8 percent for these levels.
Again in accordance with the ministry’s regulations, private institutions should not demand exorbitant fees for the first, fifth and ninth grades either, though the figures circulating suggest otherwise.
Despite the concern already sparked among parents by these anticipated figures, the costs rise even further with additional fees for food, school services, uniforms, and school supplies such as books, notebooks, and workbooks.
Schools are offering parents the option to pay in installments if they choose to proceed with registration during the upcoming summer period, though this option may also lead to a higher overall cost.
Zafer Öztürk, head of the Turkish Private Schools Association (TÖZOK), expressed concern over the rising fees, pointing out that some schools excessively increase their fees each year during the same period.
However, according to Öztürk, with the exception of a few institutions, most private schools will raise their fees in accordance with the ministry’s designated 54.8 percent increase.
Levent Küçük, the president of a consumer association, underlined that education has been the subject of the majority of complaints they have received recently, trailing the overall expense of living and food.
According to Küçük, educational institutions are unable to make a profit from services like meals, stationery, and study aids, in accordance with the ministry’s regulation, however, most of the schools do not follow suit in practice.
Küçük reminded parents that they are not required to pay any fees other than the tuition unless those fees were previously discussed and agreed upon. In cases where unexpected charges are imposed, he advised them to file complaints with the provincial and district directorates of education.