Geographical Accessibility

State schools are funded by the state budget through the Ministry of National Education. Their material facilities are public state property. These schools provide training and schooling for children and pupils from the whole country and are geographically distributed relatively evenly in the capital, the district centers and other larger or smaller towns and villages. In the selection of the school and the settlement unit which does not have public transportation service, inadequacy of the number of students, geographical characteristics of settlements, road conditions, lack of educational institution which is able to meet this need in the settlement where the student who needs education access permanently or temporarily resides, or these institutions are closed, natural disasters, epidemics, and the occurrence of sudden and unexpected events such as the danger of property loss and/or as a result of these events; repair, empowerment, disposal or treatment work being done, migrations and seasonal worker movements are taken into account, the regulation states. 

Students in the closed school are capable of joining the classes in the unit and complete the class of 4th. Compulsory primary school age cannot be covered as they receive their boarding secondary school. In the region without boarding secondary school in the city, students are placed in boarding secondary schools in other provinces, depicted in Regulation on Early Childhood Education and Primary School Education, Article 15. 

Admission Requirements and Choice of School

New enrolments take place on the first working day of July every year. Enrolment is carried out on the basis of the address on the national database prepared through Law on Population Services Numbered 5490 on 25/4/2006. Enrolled through the e-school system, individuals are not expected to submit any documents.

Enrolment is made for children completing 69 months as of the end of September in the first class of the primary school. According to the Regulation of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education Institutions (10/07/2019), while previously children who complete 66 months were accepted to the primary schools, the new amendment states that children that complete 69 months are to be accepted to the primary schools. In addition, children at 66, 67 and 68 months old used to be accepted to the primary schools upon the petition of the parents, but the new regulation accentuates only children competing 69 months are accepted to the primary schools. School principals can lead children at 69, 70 and 71 months old to early childhood education depending on the written request of the parents or can postpone the admission for an academic year.  Correction of the actual age of the students whose ages are miswritten is requested from the school administration and parents. Parents of these children that do not make any attempts should contact authorities within three months to make this work. Children who are not enrolled in school for any reason are required to get enrolled in the first grade.

Enrolment into religious middle school and secondary schools: Those who complete primary school education and who are still eligible for compulsory education by the end of September enroll via the e-School system. Religious secondary enrolment is made on application by the parents about school administration (Regulation of Ministry of Education Early Childhood Education and Primary Education Institutions, Article 11).  

During the academic year, from outside our country without education certificate and also the Republic of Turkey for non-students, education of the country in which to stay away from a written statement of what schools and parents noted that reading in the classroom considering temporarily attending school is provided (Ministry of National Education Accreditation Regulation, Article 5).

Age Levels and Grouping Pupils

Basic single structure education consists of primary (1st to 4th grade- 5,75 to 6-9 years old) and lower secondary (5th to 8th grade- 10 to 13 years old) education. School education is organized in consecutive grades of students at the same age (besides some exceptions like students repeating the grade, for example).

Enrolment in schools and institutions that are determined to require special education in the era of compulsory primary school education or that have not been recognized and placed is carried out irrespective of the period determined in the calendar of annual work. It is not necessary for individuals who need special education in the age of compulsory education to have attained toilet training in daytime schools and institutions.

Organization of the School Year

Education year should not be fewer than 180 working days in schools. The Ministry of National Education determines the official starting and ending time of the school year at the beginning of each year. Based on this, the working timeline is posted and used after the approval of the governorship (Regulation of Early Childhood Education and Primary School Education Institutions, Article 11). Class hours are 30 hours in primary and 35 secondary education schools a week.

Organization of the School Day and Week 

The duration of a school hour is 40 minutes for all grades and breaks between school hours last 15 minutes in regular schools and 10 minutes in other schools. There is a lunch break only for a full-day time organization. Depending on the school type, this break can vary from 40 to 90 minutes. This duration can be changed depending on the environmental conditions of the schools. In secondary schools, classes can be united upon the approval of school boards. At most 30 minutes are separated for students who study dual education at elementary (primary-secondary school) institutions so that they can start the education. Time is divided into two hours every day to study in boarding secondary schools. Religious courses in middle and secondary schools, teachers can also be installed as a block with the decision. Each block lesson, however, cannot exceed two-course hours (Regulation of Preschool Education and Primary Education Institutions, Article 5.6). The number of school hours per day may vary, but there is no specified distinction in the organization of the different days of the week. Education is given five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).