Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer said during his speech in the Elmadağ Hasanoğlan Teaching Material Production Center that he had started the preparations for the 2022-2023 school year in İstanbul and his Ministry started new implementations.

 

"First of all, we allocated budgets to all schools for the first time in the history of the Ministry of National Education. Previously, the Ministry had allocated the budget to only secondary education institutions and provincial directorates of national education were allocating the budget to other schools. For the first time, we allocated the budget required to respond to all needs of schools varying from stationary to minor repairs to the related directorates generals of schools," stated Özer.

 

Özer reminded that the Ministry has been distributing free text books for all students with the purpose of reinforcing equal opportunity in education in the last twenty years adding that their second step was distributing free supplementary sources for all students.

 

"This may seem to be a simple step but there are 18,9 million students in our education system which is higher than the total population of many countries. Till now, we have distributed 136 million free supplementary text books and question banks to students. At the beginning of the new school year which is set for September 12, there will be free printed supplementary sources in addition to free textbooks at the desks of every student," said Özer.

 

Concerning cleaning personnel at schools, Özer stated: "On September 5, 60 thousand people will be at schools in order to help to clean schools before the beginning of the new school year. In October, the number of cleaning personnel which is around 20 or 30 thousand will increase to 60 thousand. We will gradually continue to take steps aiming at reinforcing the education system and providing a better and healthier education environment."

 

Minister Özer made comments about the additional course salary of teachers and master students adding that the Ministry has improved this salary and it is higher than minimum wage.

 

Salary of master students has increased from 4,500 liras to 7,400 liras. 

 

Minister Özer visited 63 cities of the country during the summer and had meetings with teachers, school principals, students and parents.

 

Noting that they have focused on three- four subjects during this period, Özer said, "We set goals in order to increase the quality of our education system. One of these subjects was preschool education. It is the most crucial education level and limitations in preschool education harm equal opportunity in education and also it is the main factor in the success differences among schools. Although it achieved an important increase in schooling rates in primary, secondary, high school and higher education, Türkiye could not reach the schooling rate level it desired in preschool education. This is why we decided to focus on preschool education. We decided to inaugurate 3 thousand new kindergartens and 40 thousand new preschool classrooms in order to increase the schooling rate of three year old children from 14 percent to 50 percent, schooling rate of four year old children from 35 percent to 70 percent and schooling rate of five year old children from 78 percent to 100 percent."

 

There were 2,872 kindergartens in the entire country and the Ministry has allocated its means to open new schools. Özer said that they had preferred four different approaches.

 

"First of all, we constructed new kindergarten buildings. Secondly, we converted closed down education institutions into kindergartens. Thirdly, we used night science and arts centers as preschool classrooms during the day. Fourthly, we opened preschool classrooms in the existing school buildings. As a result, we inaugurated 10 thousand new preschool classrooms within a short period of time. Finally, we increased the schooling rate of five year old children from 78 percent to 93 percent within ten months," stressed Özer.

 

Minister Özer gave examples from İstanbul.

 

"There were 147 state owned independent kindergarten schools and 1,568 private kindergartens in the city when we started this project. According to the Constitution, we must provide preschool education opportunities to each family in order to increase equal opportunity in education. As a result of our efforts, the schooling rate of five year old children in İstanbul increased from 45 percent to 87 percent. This figure will reach 100 percent by the end of this year. In all parts of the country, our children will have the right to enroll in preschool education without any tuition.  It means that success differences between schools will decrease in the long term. Preschool education has an important impact on academic success as well as in the development of cognitive skills, psychosocial and emotional progress."

 

The preschool education project aims at increasing preschool schooling rates to the level of OECD countries.

 

Minister Özer said that 20 thousand new teachers will be appointed to schools on September 1 during a ceremony participated by President Erdoğan adding that 7,503 of newly appointed teachers will be assigned to preschool education institutions.

 

"Related directorates general of our Ministry have been working in coordination in an effort to respond to the education materials of newly opened kindergartens and preschool classrooms. Today, we will sent four trucks of education materials but transportation of these materials to different parts of the country will continue," said Özer.