Particular targets were determined for the preparation, examination and evaluation of “text books” which are considered to be the most important educational tools. These targets can be classified under five topics;

1. The science of education is an inter-disciplinary science. Educational process in class environment includes sociology, culture, politics, psychology, economy, philosophy and educational sciences. Therefore, specialists of all of these divisions should work cooperatively to prepare the educational tools used in educational practice. For this reason, various specialists should work together to improve the text books’ qualities in;

• Scientific content,
• Language and Expression,
• Educational Design,
• Visual Design,
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Preparation of course books is designed to be a specialists group activity. The ideas within this activity have been re-defined. Being an editor, writer, division specialist, educational and visual designer, language specialist etc were considered as professional careers. The quality control of the text book copies within “examination measures” by the producer before presented to MONE for approval will decrease the number of books arrive in our Directorate and will make these books more qualified. Therefore, students will be provided to receive textbooks of excellent quality in the very same field.

2. Books will be prepared as a set consisting of the following;

• Text book,
• Student workbook,
• Student guide

and input will be provided to achieve the “student-focused education” and “individual learning” principles in education-teaching practices.

3. Ministry of National Education will provide the infrastructure to make teaching units work cooperatively and efficiently on developing teaching programs and preparing textbooks.
4. Unless changes are made on teaching programs, it will be provided that the relevant textbook is taught.
5. To achieve the ultimate equal opportunity principle in primary education and to support the usage of national resources economically, the opportunity to “borrow the text book” will be provided.

2.1. EXAMINED EDUCATIONAL TOOLS

To be taught in 2000-2001 academic year;

• Of the 1527 text books prepared by private sector and sent to MONE to be examined, 1290 have been examined and as a result of this examination a total of 237 text books of various branches have been found to be appropriate and approved,
• 113 text books and teachers’ guides prepared by commissions formed by MONE’s various units have been examined by commissions formed by MONE specialists, representatives of the relevant general directorates and academicians and 74 text books and teachers’ guides have been found appropriate and approved,

• 662 of 1.197 resource books,

• 916 education tools and 577 computer software on various courses,
• 400 of the 820 education and culture periodicals

have been found appropriate and approved for education and teaching.

In 1999-2000 academic year, 25.1 million textbooks including depot stocks and in 200-2001 academic year 21.5 million textbooks were presented to service. In 2000 22.7 thousand books were purchased and distributed to 531 associations and foundations primarily being central and provincial organizations and organizations outside of the country, primary and secondary education schools, foundations, universities and military organizations.

In 1999-2000 academic year, 189 cultural books were published and put on sale; printing plans of 98 cultural books were completed. Starting from March 2000, a new periodical called “Education in the Light of Science and Reason” is being published as well as the “Announcements Periodical” published monthly and “National Education” periodical published in every three months.

2.2. TEXTBOOKS DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE

In 2000-2001 academic year textbooks were distributed to primary school students in rural areas, to children in poverty, to schools of Turkish republics and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Table 77. Number of Text Books Distributed Free of Charge and Their Costs

Sources: MONE Publications Office Directorate

In 1999-2000 academic year 3.9 million text books costing 4.5 trillion liras and in 2000-2001 academic year 3.8 million text books costing 4.7 trillion liras were distributed.

2.3. ACTIVITES ENVISIONED REGARDING EDUCATIONAL TOOLS

2.3.1. Establishment of Analysis and Evaluation Commissions

For the analysis of textbooks 5 commissions made up of academicians and specialists of educational design, visual design, scientific content, assessment and evaluation and language and expression will be established.

Contribution to the System: The proposed relationships between the commission members and writers/publishers will disappear and rumors causing uneasiness will be ended.

2.3.2.Regulations on Text Books

It is envisioned to update the scientific content of the text books, to increase their quality, to revise text books to address students’ interests and skills, to form a team to prepare and analyze text books, to take the student-focused education principle as a basis, to perform the assessment and evaluation by objective measures, to classify and direct the publishers to specialize in their fields while preparing the text books, to distribute borrowed text books free of charge to students of primary education.

Contribution to the System: Text books will provide a more effective input to students’ will of learning and their personality development since text books would be prepared to be student-focused and relevant to students’ interests and skills. By preparing enduring textbooks as a set, book-lending process will help the students to become qualified book owners as well as providing input to the economy. For publishers and teaching units to become specialized in certain fields will increase the quality of books. Existing complaints in textbook analysis will disappear.

2.3.3. Instruction for Examining the Educational Materials

It is expected that educational tools and computer software to be analyzed objectively, duration of analysis to be shortened analyzers to get appropriately paid for their work.

Contribution to the System: It will be prevented that educational tools that have no use for students and prevent modern thinking to get into the system since educational tools would be analyzed by three field experts and the relevant board member’s opinion would be taken. Students’ interests and skills will be developed without any outside influence.

2.3.4. Instruction of Text Books’ Qualities and Analysis Regarding to These Qualities

It is expected that objective analysis measures to be developed in text books educational and visual design, scientific content, language and expression and assessment-evaluation fields; and the analysis of text books to be facilitated by identifying the qualities of text books which includes their relevancy to the Law, Turkish language and expression, basic principles of the Republic and Atatürk's Principles and Reforms and their possession of advertisement materials and ideological content.

Contribution to the System: Since text books would be analyzed more objectively in line with Ministry of National Education’ s determined general objectives, specific objectives of the courses themselves, scientific improvements, basic principles of our Secular Republic and Atatürk's Reforms; input will be provided for children’s development, formation of national consciousness, and therefore for the protection, observation and development of our culture which is open to scientific and modern improvements. Not to include personal ideas and subjective behaviors in the process while analyzing books will increase the quality of textbooks.

2.3.5. In Service Training

In service training on textbook analysis will be provided for teachers and academicians to serve in Inspection and Evaluation Commissions.

Contribution to the System: Objectivity will be provided in analysis services. Business quality in office services will be increased and operation times will be decreased.

2.3.6. Improvement of Educational Software Analysis Measures

In addition to the increasing importance of student-focused education and training with the help of education technology tools’ development and individual learning; developing computer soft-ware – numbers of which is increasing everyday in our educational environment - analysis measures and making the analysis to become most useful for students’ needs are envisioned.

Contribution to the System: It will facilitate the integration of educational soft-ware which provides input for students’ individual studies and addresses their skills and knowledge into the system; it will prevent the presentation of educational soft-ware which are not appropriate based on quality and content to students.

2.3.7. Documentation Office of Text Books Belonging to Foreign Countries

Like 1999-2000 academic year, text books which belong to developed countries will be demonstrated in book writing commissions of the units; methods and principles used in writing books and processing information will be explained in the following years.

Contribution to the System: Knowledge of writer groups in preparing textbooks will be increased, their visions will be expanded and they will be oriented on alternative book preparation principles and methods.

2.3.8. Printing and Distribution of Suggested Books and Educational Tools Index

To inform the students, teachers, educational institutions and families who are happened to choose books, of books and educational tools which are appropriate for education and training.

Contribution to the System: It will prevent the illegal printing and distribution of educational tools and textbooks; it will present the information needed by the relevant parts of the community.

2.3.9. Monitoring of the Selected Text Books and Educational Tools on the spot and in Educational Organizations

MONE officers will choose various pilot areas within our country and will determine on the spot whether books and educational tools used in that area had relevancy decisions and will perform the necessary processes about inappropriate educational tools.

Contribution to the System: Educational tools, which are printed illegally and do not have approval, will be prevented to reach the students.

2.3.10. Establishment of Laboratories Analyzing Tools of Educational Technology

Educational Technology Tools Examination Laboratories Project is designed to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary education-level computer software which was developed in line with the student-focused education principle that has come forward in the education system and is increasing in number. In addition to division specialists, there are technical specialists and education scientists in the computer-environment examination commission. In line with the same project framework, in service training of 20 personnel appointed to work in the laboratory is also planned.

Contribution to the System: Computer software prepared to be presented to educational services in recent years will be analyzed and evaluated more rationally and in line with the programs. Therefore, students will have more qualified educational tools in individual or group studies.

2.3.11. In Service Training Project of the Personnel Appointed in the Analysis of Educational Tools and Text Books in Primary Education

The project, which involves the training of 250 personnel, is prepared by MONE. The studies will be continued after receiving the approval of World Bank.

Contribution to the System: It will provide that the personnel in charge would have rational measures in analyzing the educational tools and text books and it will integrate the analysis and evaluation practices by using computers.

2.3.12. Educational Tools Analysis Computer Soft-Ware Project

To record every education/training materials analyzed in MONE will result reaching the data on those subjects rapidly and receiving numeric data as a guide. Data on those subjects will be reached via Internet within a certain safety framework.

Contribution to the System: All data regarding to the subject will also be reached very rapidly via Internet and Intranet within a certain safety framework. In addition by receiving numeric data, studies will be evaluated, precautions for the future will be taken and receiving numeric data will perform correct planning.

3. ACTIVITIES PERFORMED IN LINE WITH THE SIXTEENTH NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT’S RESOLUTIONS

Rapid developments and changes taking place in science and technology changes people’s needs and expectations as well and all countries review and re-structure their education systems. MONE has held the 16th National Education Summit between 22-26 February 1999, with the aim of re-structuring the vocational training within the integrity of secondary education, with consideration of the requirements of our country in line with the 8 year obligatory primary education reform, and the integrity of our education system, determining the problems and producing solutions to the problems, and making necessary decisions on these issues, where experts from different sections in the country and abroad have participated. As only vocational and technical education concepts were discussed upon, this Summit has a special importance for our country.

The evaluation commission gathered within MONE regarding the decisions taken by 16th National Education Summit have made their study on the basis of the decision concerning the re-structuring with certain weight, of vocational and technical education within the integrity of secondary education.

• Re-determination of the purposes of secondary education system, converting it to a multi-purpose and democratic structure based upon capability which leads to efficiency in usage of resources,
• Assessment of qualities of preparation classes which are given before some schools,
• Planning of the system with consideration of 11-12 year obligatory education practice in near future,
• Avoiding excessive variety of institutions for vocational and technical education, substitution of such variety by training programs,
• Acceptance of students in accordance with necessities of the occupation, during entrance to vocational education programs,
• Complete review of training programs with consideration of requirements of the information and technology age, abandoning the traditional approach to vocational secondary education which is based upon skill training in depth in only one occupation, and considering the subject in aspects of technology and practice, ensuring that the young people of relevant age group are grown up as enterprising individuals equipped with skills of problem solving by scientific attitude and behavior and having ability of research,
• Abandoning of program understanding which isolates general education from the technological environment, inclusion of technological education in the whole education process from primary education to higher education, consideration of usage of tools, equipment and other resources within the concept of technology education,
• Ensuring that, selective courses are arranged so that they develop the interests and skills of the students, they support their vocational fields, and they present the vocational technical training programs,
• Re-arrangement of the passage to higher education, and re-structuring and the central and country organization,

In the 16th National Education Summit, as a result of commission studies under 4 parts under main topics of;

1. Re-structuring of vocational and technical education, within the integrity of secondary education system,
2. Vocational education and recruitment in schools and institutions,
3. Training instructors and managers for vocational and technical education system,
4. Finance for vocational and technical education system,

195 recommendatory resolutions were made where 49 belong to 1st part, 55 belong to 2nd part, 32 belong to 3rd part and 32 belong to 4th part. Coordinators and responsible units were assigned for implementation of these recommendatory resolutions, and they have been included in Executive Plan by relevant post approval.

For practice of the resolutions made under 4 main topics in 16th National Education Summit, code and regulation changes are necessary, which require cooperation among ministries.

The studies performed by MONE in order that recommendatory resolutions made in the Summit are executed are listed below.

1. MONE Regulation for Administrator Assignment, Assessment, Promotion and Displacement
2. Regulation on Norm Staff Lists of Administrators and Instructors for School and Institutions under Ministry of National Education,
3. Ministry of National Education Instructor Assignment and Displacement Regulation,
4. Regulation on Making Alterations on the Regulation of Examinations Held for Workers’ Initial Assignments to Permanent Staff Lists of Public Institutions and Associations,
5. Ministry of National Education Regulation of Anadolu Vocational and Technical Secondary Education Institutions,
6. Regulation Regarding to Department, Workshop and Laboratory Departments of Vocational and Technical Schools and Institutions under Ministry of National Education,
7. MONE Education Regions and Committees Regulation,
8. Regulation for Practice of All Year Full Time Education in Vocational and Technical Schools and Institutions,

By execution of these regulations, some of the resolutions made in the Summit have taken effect.

Of the recommendatory resolutions made in the Summit, execution of 31 will be by re-structuring, of 16 by alteration on Code no 3308, and of 7 by formation of occupation standards. Studies concerning these are being carried on. The suggestions of the commissions studying for execution of Summit resolutions, in favor of alterations of present codes, will be combined and handled in integrity. The draft code prepared concerning the revolving fund operations has been included in the agenda of TGNA General Assembly. The draft code concerning establishment of National Education Academy has been submitted to Prime Ministry.

Since vocational and technical education is an expensive type of education, the main important factor necessary for it to be carried on successfully is financing. Besides the budget supplied by the state for investments and other expenses made on vocational and technical education, it is necessary that the sectors using the outputs of vocational and technical education supply possibilities and support. Therefore, besides effective usage of state resources, legal modifications enabling resource transfer from other associations are also necessary.

©2002 Republic Of Turkey
Ministry Of National Education
All Rights Reserved.