Adult Education in Turkey

Özlem ÜnlühisarcıklıBoğaziçi University

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VALUE ConferenceMiddle East Technical University, Ankara (Turkey)

8-9 June 2011

Objectives of the presentation

• To give a brief historical background and institutionalization process of adult education in Turkey.

• To introduce the organizational framework and main providers of adult education in Turkey

• To refer to the issues of professionalization and training of adult educators in Turkey

• To relate to the problems and challenges of adult education in Turkey.

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PopulationPopulation GrowthRate (%)

AgeStructure Urbanization

Population below poverty line

78 million 1.24 0-14 years: 26.6% 15-64 years: 67.1%65 years +: 6.3%

urban population: 70% rate of urbanization: 1.7%

17.11%

http://www.indexmundi.com/turkey/

Turkey (2011)

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History of AE in Turkey1922 Night Courses for public1924 Unification of Education Law1928 Adoption of a new alphabet literacy campaigns and Nation Schools1932 People’s Houses community centres in cities1936 People’s Rooms community centres in towns and villages1938-39 Mobile Courses for Men and Women in Villages 1940 Village Institutes1951 People’s Houses closed (Republican People’s Party lost the elections and

Democratic Party won the elections in 1950)1953 Public Reading Rooms1956 Public Education Centres1960 General Directorate of Public Education1977 General Directorate of Apprenticeship , and centers (the first law enacted)1978 Mobile courses + Gen. Dir. Of Public Edu. - Gen. Dir. Of Non-Formal Edu.1983 Gen. Dir. Of Appr. + Gen. Dir. Of Non-Formal Edu. MoE, Gen. Dir. of Apprenticeship and Non-Formal Education

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Number of School, Teacher, Enrolment by Level of Education: 2010-2011

Education Level School TeacherNumber of Students

Total Female Male

Pre-School Education 27.606 48.330 1.115.818 535.522 580.296

Primary Education 32.797 503.32810.981.10

05.357.624 5.623.476

Secondary Edu./ Tot.General

Vocational

9.2814.1025.179

222.705118.378104.327

4.748.6102.676.1232.072.478

2.162.4391.267.677 894.762

2.586.1711.408.4461.177.725

Higher education * 3.493.819 1.561.614 1.932.205

Source: MoNE, 2010-2011; ÖSYM, 2009-2010.* Statistics are for 2009-2010; 1.04 million students are in post-secondary VET, 2.3 million students are in undergraduate and 0.2 million students are in graduate programs.

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Legal Basis of Adult EducationThere are several laws that relate to adult education activities in Turkey. The major ones are:•Basic Law of National Education No. 1739•Organization and Duties of the Ministry of National Education Law No. 3797•Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Law No. 3308 •Literacy Training for Citizens Who are Out of the Compulsory Primary Education Age Law No. 2841 •Vocational Qualification Authority Law No. 5544

– including formal (primary, secondary, and higher education), non-formal, and informal and relevant institutions.

•Private Education Institutions Law No. 5580

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The general goals of non-formal education are described in Basic Law on National Education No. 1739 Item 40 as:

• Literacy for all, and remedial continuing education opportunities;• Providing educational opportunities for all, to enable people to

keep up with scientific, technologic, economic, social and cultural developments;

• Educational provision to safeguard, promote and integrate national cultural values;

• Assisting all citizens to acquire values and habits of solidarity, co-operation, collaboration and organization;

• Assisting people to lead a healthy life style and balanced diet, to increase living standards and economic efficiency;

• Promoting productive use of leisure;• Providing courses and training opportunities to adults for

vocational and technical skill acquisition, in line with the development of economy and state employment policy;

• Providing continuing education opportunities to working people for professional development.

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Non-Formal Education Institutions, and Participants: 2008

Type of Institution Inst. Number of Participants

Total Female Male

Public Education Centre (PEC) 957 2.115.986 1.204.770 911.216

Vocational Training Centre (VTC) 369 304.856 55.986 248.870

Practical Art School for Girls 355 50.798 48.396 2.402

Advanced Handicraft Institution 12 859 859 -

Technical Edu. Centre for Adults 12 114 14 100

Tourism Training Centre 10 654 135 519

Various Vocational Courses (3308) - 63.308 20.168 43.140

General Total 1.715 2.536.575 1.330.328 1.206.247

Source: TÜİK (2009). Milli Eğitim İstatistikleri, Yaygın Eğitim, 2007-2008, Ankara. 8

Number of Participants in Public Education Centres (Halk Eğitimi Merkezi, PECs)

Years Number of Courses

Vocational Courses Participants

Social-Cultural Courses Participants

Literacy Courses Participants

Total Number of Participants

2003-2004 20.571 552.756 398.897 150.133 1.101.786

2004-2005 64.549 678.842 458.547 175.229 1.312.618

2005-2006 79.635 894.406 585.347 194.605 1.674.358

2006-2007 91.033 931.588 699.728 204.747 1.836.063

2007-2008 141.224 1.040.915 1.044.081 186.061 2.271.057

2008-2009 176.110 1.271.058 1.752.644 385.356 3.409.058

Source: http://cygm.meb.gov.tr/index.html (accessed May 2011)

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Public Education Centres

• PECs were started in 1955.• There are 966 PECs in 81 provinces.• PECs are the main providers of adult

education courses among the institutions organized by the MoNE General Directorate of Apprenticeship and Non-formal Education.

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Number of Participants in Vocational Training Centers (Mesleki Eğitim Merkezi, VTCs)

Academic Year

Number of Inst.

Number of Teachers

Participant NumberCandidate Apprentice

Apprentice Journeymen Master Trainer TOTAL

1994-95 292 3.142 10.036 144.126 29.748 15.173 199.0831999-00 330 5.084 6.792 133.551 64.274 13.959 218.5762005-06 351 4.532 2.034 124.464 68.307 20.040 214.8452008-09 317 4.809 260 130.863 53.793 16.289 201.205

Source: TÜSİAD (1999), Akpınar A. (2004), MoNE (2006), MoNE website (accessed May 2011).

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According to the Law of Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Number 3308 issued in 1986 (amended in 2001 into the Vocational Education Law No. 4702), the basic aims of apprenticeship training in VTCs are:

• To provide all studentship rights to the apprentices as the students in formal education system have.

• To help those seeking apprenticeships, who have finished primary education and are above the age of 14, to choose a vocation appropriate to their interests and aptitudes.

• To prepare apprentices for the journeyman-ship examination through the acquisition of vocational knowledge, skills and work habits,

• To prepare journeymen for the mastership examination through the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and work habits to perform the vocational tasks alone and to run a workshop.

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Drawbacks of Apprenticeship Training

– Technological upgrading needed– Time duration of the programs needed revision– Adaptation needed to the delayed entrance into the system– Inadequate training of teachers and mentors– Low status of apprentices a burning problem

• Come from lower SES families• Frequently school drop-outs• Status of the certificate not clear• Not well connected to further education opportunities• Tough working conditions

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Source: Vos, 2008.

Distance Education in 2006-2007

Educational LevelNumber of Students

Total Male Female

Open Primary Education 109.037 50.200 58.837Open Secondary Education TOTAL 248.829 142.076 106.753

General High School 192.983 112.625 80.358 Vocational and Technical Programmes

Industrial Vocational High School 20.262 18.442 1.820 Girls’ Vocational High School 13.570 281 13.289 Trade Vocational High School 10.719 5.783 4.936 Imam and Preachers High School 11.295 4.945 6.350Open Higher Education 239.552 105.385 134.167Source: MoNE (2008), ÖSYM (2007).

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Distance Education

• Distance education in Turkey provides opportunity for pursuing education in general education, vocational and technical training, and remedial education for those who dropped out formal education system at some point and want to receive their diploma. Thus, distance education institutions support the primary, and secondary education system.

• Distance education programs at higher education level also serve many people, in addition to the distance education activities by the MoNE.

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Vocational Training and Arts Courses of Municipalities

Metropolitan Municipality Law No. 5216 enacted in 2004 redefined the roles, responsibilities, and the areas of authority of the metropolitan municipalities (Article 7), which enabled the municipalities to organize vocational and skill acquisition courses.

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Vocational Training and Arts Courses of Municipalities in 2008

Municipalities Participants %İstanbul (İSMEK) 196.787 61.7Kocaeli (KO-MEK) 23.567 7.4Ankara (BELMEK-BELTEK) 20.663 6.5Kayseri (KAYMEK) 19.654 6.2Bursa (BUSMEK) 13.639 4.3Gaziantep (GAMEK) 13.298 4.2Antalya (ASMEK) 12.189 3.8İzmir (İZMEB) 3.553 1.1Eskişehir 2.000 0.6Konya (KOMEK) 5.615 1.8Çankaya District (Ank.) 5.628 1.8Kadıköy District (İst.) 2.183 0.6

TOTAL 318.776 100

Source: Miser, Ural, Ünlühisarcıklı (2010).17

Other Contributors

• Other ministries• Voluntary bodies

– NGOs, chambres of professions, trade unions, foundations, associations etc.

• Workplace – Internships and apprenticeship training– In-service training in the workplace– Corporate universities (CU)

• Universities– Continuing education centres

• May 2010: First Council of Continuing Education Centres– Alumni associations

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Undergraduate and Graduate Level Students in Adult Education Programs

Undergraduate level * Master’s level PhD level

YearsNew

AdmissionReceivingGraduateDegree

MA New Admission

ReceivingGraduateDegree

PhD New Admission

ReceivingGraduateDegree

1995-1996 66 50 29 3 - -

2000-2001 - 57 23 8 - 1

2005-2006 - - 54 17 8 -

2006-2007 - - 29 21 4 1

2007-2008 - - 29 5 -

2008-2009 - - 28 19 3 -

2009-2010 - - 15 19 4 -

Source: SIS (2004), ÖSYM (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2001).

*Undergraduate level adult education programs closed down in the Restructuring of the Higher Education System in 1997.

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EU funded programme “Strengthening the Vocational Education and Training System” (SVET)

• Started in September 2002. The main aim of the project is improving the qualified labour force in line with the needs of the labour market and to increase the competition between the entrepreneurs.

• The social partners of the project are: ETF, DİSK, EĞİTİM-BİR-SEN, EĞİTİM-SEN, Hak-İş, KESK, MEKSA, TİSK, TOBB, TES, TÜRKİŞ, and TÜSİAD (SVET/MEGEP webpage).

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Objectives of SVET• Development of occupational standards, development of training

standards forming the basis of the new competency based modular curricula,

• National Qualification System that focuses mainly on the institutional accreditation criteria and procedures. Vocational Qualification Authority Law No. 5544 is important for the implementation of both training standards and NQS,

• Revision of existing curricula (based on ISCED 97) and development of an 8-level structure compatible with the European Qualifications Framework,

• Development of lifelong learning (LLL) concept for Turkey, quality assurance system, and training of school and training centre managers.

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Occupational Level Criteria compatible with the European Qualifications Framework

LEVEL 1: (routine) occupations that continue to the same template with a small change. (Primary education)

LEVEL 2: occupations that include more than one variable and complexity and that may include collaboration activities with other employees in work process. (Certificate)

LEVEL 3: the occupations in which there are complex and non-routine activities. (Certificate)

LEVEL 4: includes highly complex, technical or professional occupations. (Certificate, VET)

LEVEL 5: occupations that have advance level complex activities, strategic management instructions and contents that frequently cannot be determined in advance. (post-secondary VET)

LEVEL 6: Design engineer, Computer Engineer, Textile Technology Specialist, Work Study Specialist, Production Planner, etc. (B.A.)

LEVEL 7: Department Manager, Lawyer, Deputy Manager, Accounting Chief, Economist, etc. (M.A., expert)

LEVEL 8: Managing Director, General Director, Accounting Director, Engineer (Ph.D.).

Source: SVET webpage, and NQF webpage (http://www.myk.gov.tr) .22

Adult Education in the Agenda and in the Decisions of National Education Councils (1939-2006).

The concepts used in the councils:1957 Halk Eğitimi Education of the People1962 Halk Eğitimi Education of the People1974 Yaygın Eğitim Non-formal Education1981 Yaygın Eğitim Non-formal Education1982 Halk Eğitimi Education of the People1988 Sürekli Eğitim Continuing Education1990 Yaygın Eğitim Non-formal Education1996 Sürekli Eğitim Continuing Education2006 YYaaşşamboyu amboyu ÖğÖğrenmerenme Lifelong Learning, LLL Lifelong Learning, LLL

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The New MoNE, Non-Formal Education Institutions Regulation

Issued: 21.5.2010/27587Item 4 relates to the aims of non-formal education in the following:• Citizenship• Literacy• Turkish language• Culture• Qualified workforce• Migrant s• Public health• Lifelong learning• Special education• Family education• Community • Elderly

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Challenges

• The majority of full time educators working at Public Education Centers are formal school teachers without any training in adult education. The majority of the part-time educators at Public Education Centers are master craftsmen who do not have any teaching certificates.

• There are only three graduate programs in adult education. The undergraduate programs are closed down in 1997. The numbers of academicians who have academic credentials in adult education are not satisfactory.

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• There are insufficient provision in areas such as education for adults with disabilities, democratic participation, human rights, and environmental awareness. Though, the numbers of such provisions are increasing in the last few years.

• Well established tracking systems are needed to follow-up.• Studies relating to workplace learning.• Balance between educational provision and employment

opportunities.• Social status of VET.• Research on continuing education centers.

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Challenges