By the implementation of education regions, democracy and the participation in the education system shall be ensured, educational institutions shall complement each other to become integrated, and teachers shall belong not only to a school but to the whole education region.

This implementation, which shall more effectively activate participation in education, shall also ensure that education-related decisions shall be given with the involvement of students through "school- student committees", teachers through "school- group chairmen committees", district elders and representatives of civil society organizations through "education region counseling committees". As per the Directive of Education Regions and Committees, 1.516 education regions have been established in Turkey.

In the formation of Education Regions Education Committees have been established as a model for participation.

Education Regions are established upon suggestion of the provincial director of national education and approval of the governor. Education regions are directed by the "coordinating manager". In areas where a single education region exists, this is directed by the national education directorate.

A "Secondary Education Project" is planned covering a four- year secondary education following eight years of primary education in order to restructure the education system and to achieve the short-, medium- and long-term objectives of education.

To Increase Physical and Equipment Capacities of the Institutions and to Reduce Classroom Contents

Classroom contents shall be reduced by building additional classrooms or floors in schools with suitable land.

New schools shall be built in places where required.

Teaching materials and information technology tools shall be provided where needed.

New resources shall be created through environmental participation and cooperation and resources shall be used effectively and efficiently.

To Identify Infrastructure Works

Teacher Training

Teaching Materials, Information Technology

Program Development

Evaluation and Management Information System

Vocational Orientation and Guidance

School Development

Reinforcing the School Management

HIGHER EDUCATION LAW NO 2547, APPRENTICESHIP AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING LAW NO 3308, LAW NO 3797 ON THE ORGANISATION AND DUTIES OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION, LAW NO 4306 ON EIGHT YEARS OF EDUCATION AND LAW NO 4702 DATED 29.06.2001 AS A FRAMEWORK FOR THE AMENDMENTS IN LAW NO 3418

The formation of vocational technical education regions ensures that;

Resources are used effectively and efficiently,

Integrity and continuity are established between vocational and technical secondary education programs and higher education programs,

Labor is trained, equipped with the knowledge and skills required by the business community,

Social parties (government, employer, workers) participate more effectively in the vocational and technical education process.

INNOVATIONS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

3. EDUCATION REGIONS AND COMMITTEES

EDUCATION REGION is defined as the region that includes different types and levels of schools where people of all ages can be educated and trained, and institutions where teachers' professional training and social needs can be met.

Education Regions have been established for the common use of
Infrastructure
- Tools and equipment
- Personnel
- Social institutions
- Other facilities

based on
- Place of schools
- Types of school and numbers of students
- Physical capacity of and equipment in the education buildings and institutions
- Convenient and safe transportation facilities
- Geographical integrity
- Ease of communication and coordination.

Basic Principles of the Education Region Implementation
1. Ensuring that resources are used effectively, efficiently and commonly within the framework of a program (resource utilization),
2. Getting everyone involved in education (participation),
3. Making everyone related to school; the environment and education interact and share (interaction and sharing),
4. Establishing cooperation between education institutions and universities (research and development),
5. Increasing the quality of education by improving the standards of personnel, infrastructure, installations, tools and equipment in the education regions (high standards and quality in education),
6. Orienting the students in line with their interests and aspirations through an effective counseling service (orientation in education).
When establishing the education regions, the population of the city or town is considered. A city or town having a population of less than 30.000 within the municipality boundaries shall be an education region. Education regions in the cities and towns with a population below 30.000 are designated based on criteria such as types of schools, numbers of students, equipment in schools, capacity of the institutions and transportation facilities. However, a maximum 7 education regions can be established in the centers and central towns of metropolitan cities and a maximum 5 education regions can be established in other settlement areas. In places with a population of more than 30.000, a second education region can only be established if there are more than 5 formal education institutions and more than 3000 enrolled students.

EDUCATION REGIONS

4. SECONDARY EDUCATION PROJECT
4.1. COST OF AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR THE SECONDARY EDUCATION PROJECT
The estimated total cost of restructuring shall be 3.5 quadrillion for two shift education and 6 quadrillion for normal education. This cost shall be financed by the general budget revenues of the Ministry of National Education, by the revenues from the Law no 4702 issued in Official Gazette dated July 10th 2001 and partly by the loans from the World Bank. The secondary Education Project shall be implemented until the year 2005.

4.2. SCOPE OF THE SECONDARY EDUCATION PROJECT

- Additional classrooms, additional floors and new schools and buildings shall be constructed,
- Management shall be reinforced, cooperation shall be ensured for environmental participation,
- Schools shall be equipped with modern tools and equipment,
- Schools shall be open to development,
- A flexible program structure shall be established to ensure horizontal and vertical transition and vocational orientation and guidance shall be provided in institutions,
- Support for education shall be obtained from all public institutions and organizations, civil society organizations and the public; the organization and arrangement needed to make education institutions functional shall be made.

4.3. AIM OF THE PROJECT
To Improve the Quality of Education and to Increase the Number of Students
- Cooperation between school and environment shall be reinforced.
- School directors, teachers and other personnel shall be given in-service training.
- Information technology shall be extensively used in education.
- Teaching programs in vocational and technical training shall be organized to enable horizontal and vertical transition in a modular system.
- Management Information Systems shall be established, local education requirements shall be identified through objective planning.
- Vocational orientation, guidance and counseling services shall be reorganized.
- A measurement and evaluation system shall be developed on the basis of vocational standards and certification principles.

4.4 STUDIES INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT
Research has been done on sectoral development and current status.
Negotiations have been conducted with the Treasury Undersecretariate and the World Bank on the quality improvement activities.
8 different Project Preparation Groups with a total of 80 members have been formed in the Secondary Education Project by the Secondary Education Project Orientation Committee. A draft project has been prepared to reduce the number of these groups to three.

4.5. SUBJECT OF THE PROJECT
To identify qualitatively and quantitatively the infrastructure work to be done in the secondary education institutions in order to decrease the number of students per classroom, to identify the number and places of additional buildings and to reduce two shift education.

To identify the training required to increase the teaching-related activities of the personnel working in general and vocational technical secondary education institutions.

To identify the purpose, quality and quantity of the teaching materials and information technology needed by the secondary education programs as per the norms of the European Union members.

To improve the secondary education program in line with the EU member nations' programs and to arrange it to ensure high flexibility for the individuals to exhibit their interests, aspirations and abilities.

To ensure that the required information is produced in time and with proper detail and frequency, is shared, evaluated, interpreted and the results are notified to the related units in order to achieve more professional planning, good management, effective inspection and quality service in secondary education.

To identify vocational orientation and guidance works aimed at the system, student and economical objectives in secondary education.

To identify the essentials and methods of school funds which shall be used for institutional development in secondary education.

To arrange the efforts aimed at improving the manpower and education level, to increase the international competitive power so that all personnel working in the general and vocational technical secondary education is involved.

5. LAW NO 4702

5.1. ARRANGEMENTS IN
THE LAW NO 2547

Students who are awarded in international competitions and are identified by the Turkish Institution of Scientific and Technical Research shall have the right to attend without taking an exam the selected higher education schools related with the subjects in which they have been awarded.

Students who complete their vocational and technical secondary education may enter without having to take an exam the vocational higher education schools where they can continue with the same program they have graduated from or with a similar program.

Successful graduates of the vocational higher education schools may be vertically transferred to undergraduate programs in their areas.

Foundations can establish vocational higher education schools provided that they do not work to earn profits. It will be essential that the vocational higher education schools to be established shall actually be required .by the vocational and technical education region.
   

Functions of the Vocational and Technical Education Regions
1. In order to increase the interest for and orientation in vocational and technical education and to increase the enrolment rate in these areas, students in vocational and technical education shall have the opportunity to attend without taking an exam the vocational higher education schools in their own regions or in other regions where they can continue with the same program they have graduated from, or with a similar program.
2. Students who have graduated from vocational and technical secondary schools and vocational higher education schools shall have the right to make vertical transition to the undergraduate studies in their own area with a quota of at least 10%.
3. If students who graduate from any of the vocational and technical secondary education schools wish to attend the higher education programs outside the scope of vocational and technical education regions, they shall have the right to apply for university entrance exams.

VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION REGION

Coverage: Provincial boundaries

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Ministry Of National Education
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