Turkey’s Education Ministry prepares curriculum overhaul
ANKARA
The Education Ministry is gearing up for a curriculum renewal project for all education units in Turkey, claiming to focus on simplifying content while increasing students’ analytical skills. According to the extensive overhaul project, over 50 different curriculums will be revised and over 1000 foundations, associations and education experts will be able to express their opinions about the new system. Teachers will be notified of any changes through text messages and e-mails.
School principalities in 81 provinces are also expected to form groups that will prepare revision reports for the proposed curriculums and send these reports to the ministry from February. The plan stipulates that the final version of the curriculum will be determined during live discussion panels in which teachers, principals, academics and NGO representatives will express their opinions.
The initial draft revision will be made by taking centralized examinations such as PISA into consideration. Teams of teachers and academics will come together each week in workshops to discuss the content of the new curriculum.
As part of the new measures, the number of some classes will be decreased and they will undergo a simplification process. The share of arts and sports classes within the curriculum will also be increased.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) key concept of health life and health aging will also be covered in the curriculum and physical activity classes will be re-designed to include all school staff, in order to help turn these activities into a lifestyle rather than just a class.
History classes will also be revamped, encompassing recent history issues as well as regional and world history. According to the changes, education will be concentrated on nine axes, including: “History conscience,” “health living and aging,” “July 15 [coup attempt] Democracy Victory,” “21st century skills,” “Kemalism,” “Values education,” and “National Education Quality Certificate.”
