Public Disclosure Authorized Report No. 32450-TU Turkey—Education Sector Study Sustainable Pathways to an Effective, Equitable, and Efficient Education System for Preschool through Secondary School Education Public Disclosure Authorized December 31, 2005 Human Development Sector Unit Europe and Central Asia Region Public Disclosure Authorized In Association with Education Reform Initiative/ Istanbul Policy Center Document of the World Bank _________________________ Public Disclosure Authorized Copyright © 2005 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433, USA All rights reserved The World Bank enjoys copyright under protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. This material may nonetheless be copied for research, educational or scholarly purposes only in the member countries of The World Bank. Material in this report is subject to revision. Vice President: Shigeo Katsu Country Director: Andrew N. Vorkink Sector Director: Charles C. Griffin Sector Manager: Maureen A. McLaughlin Task Team Leader: Robin S. Horn TABLE OF CONTENTS ESS Preparation Team and Contributors ..................................................................... iii Acronyms And Currency Equivalents........................................................................... iv Abstract.............................................................................................................................. v Section 1. Background and Objectives .......................................................................... 1 Overview....................................................................................................................... 1 Context.......................................................................................................................... 1 Objectives of the Education Sector Study .................................................................... 3 Methodology of the Education Sector Study................................................................ 3 Section 2. Main Conclusions and Challenges ................................................................ 5 1. Enhancing the Mission of the 1997 Basic Education Reform ................................. 5 2. Ensuring Adequate Learning Opportunities for All................................................. 8 3. Developing the Basic Competencies of All Students ............................................ 15 4. Updating Teacher Education and Professional Development ............................... 23 5. Improving the Support, Accountability and Governance of Schools .................... 27 6. Aligning Financing Policies with Educational Objectives .................................... 30 Section 3. Recommendations and Options for Reform .............................................. 36 The Emergence of an Education Sector Strategy in Turkey....................................... 36 World Bank Recommendations .................................................................................. 38 Further Options to Support the Government’s Emerging Sector Strategy ................. 42 Policy Options to Support Strategic Objective A ....................................................... 44 Policy Options to Support Strategic Objective B ....................................................... 47 Policy Options to Support Strategic Objective C ....................................................... 50 Policy Options to Support Strategic Objective D ....................................................... 62 Policy Options to Support Strategic Objective E........................................................ 69 Section 4. Next Steps...................................................................................................... 79 References........................................................................................................................ 81 Annex 1. Summaries of Commissioned Papers............................................................ 88 Status and Trends in Education by Seref Hosgor ....................................................... 88 A Cost Benefit Analysis of Pre-school Education in Turkey by Mehmet Kaytaz...... 95 Education Finance and Equity in Turkey by Cem Mete............................................. 99 National Education Accounts in Turkey by Mukesh Chawla................................... 106 Qualitative Assessment of Turkish Elementary School Quality by Ali E. Sahin..... 109 December 31, 2005 i ICTs in Education: Global Experience and Model Practices, with Implications for Turkey by Haneeta Bhullar................................................................................. 112 Qualitative Assessment of Rural Schools in Turkey by Hannu Kuitunen................ 116 Student Achievement in the Turkish Education System by Giray Berberoglu ........ 120 Transition from Education to the Labor Market by Keiichi Ogawa and Aysit Tansel ............................................................................................................................. 131 Education and Labor Market Outcomes in Turkey by Aysit Tansel ........................ 139 Turkey’s Rapid Coverage for Compulsory Basic Education Program: A Case Study by Ilhan Dulger ................................................................................................... 146 Towards an Education Decentralization Strategy for Turkey by Alec Gershberg ... 148 Annex 2. ESS-Sponsored Workshops ........................................................................ 152 December 31, 2005 ii ESS PREPARATION TEAM AND CONTRIBUTORS World Bank Task Team Robin Horn, Lead Education Specialist, Washington, DC Ferda Sahmali, Senior Operations Officer, Ankara Education Reform Initiative (Development Partners) Batuhan Aydagül, Education Reform Initiative, Istanbul Neyyir Berktay, Education Reform Initiative, Istanbul Ayla Goksel Gocer, Education Reform Initiative, Istanbul ESS Team Consultants Amber K. Gove, Education Consultant, Stanford University, California Thomas Luschei, Education Consultant, Stanford University, California Contributing Researchers Giray Berberoglu, Middle East Technical University, Ankara Haneeta Bhullar, World Bank Consultant, Washington, DC Mukesh Chawla, World Bank, Washington, DC Ilhan Dulger, State Planning Organization, Ankara Alec Gershberg, World Bank and New School, New York City Seref Hosgor, Baskent University, Ankara Mehmet Kaytaz, Bogazici University, Istanbul Hannu Kuitunen, Helsinki Consulting Group, Helsinki Cem Mete, World Bank, Washington, DC Keiichi Ogawa, Kobe University, Kobe Ali E. Sahin, Hacettepe University, Ankara Aysit Tansel, Middle East Technical University, Ankara December 31, 2005 iii ACRONYMS AND CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS ECD/ECE Early Childhood Development/Education EC European Commission ERI Education Reform Initiative ESS Education Sector Study EU European Union GDP Gross Domestic Product HICES Household Income and Consumption Expenditure Survey HLFS Household Labor Force Survey MONE Ministry of National Education MYO Post-secondary Vocational School NGO Nongovernmental Organization NUTS EU Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics OSS University Entrance Examination OSYM Student Selection and Placement Center OBBS Student Achievement Determination Examination OKS Selection Examination for Secondary Education Institutions PEIR Public Expenditure and Institutional Review PIO Primary Schools with Pension Housing PIRLS Progress in International Reading Literacy Study PISA International Student Assessment Program (OECD) SIS State Institute of Statistics SPO State Planning Organization TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science YIBO Regional Boarding Primary School LEVELS OF THE TURKISH EDUCATION SYSTEM Lower Primary Education: Grades 1-5 Lower Secondary Education: Grades 6-8 Basic Education: Grades 1-8 (Compulsory Education) Secondary Education: Grades 9-11 or 9-12, including vocational and technical secondary education CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Exchange rate effective as of December 31, 2005 Currency Unit: New Turkish Lira (YTL) 1.35 YTL = US$1 YTL 1.61 = 1 Euro US $ 1.19 = 1 Euro FISCAL YEAR OF THE GOVERNMENT OF TURKEY January 1 - December 31 December 31, 2005 iv ABSTRACT The start of membership negotiations with the European Union on October 3, 2005 validated the astonishing economic and social reforms that Turkey made over the last few years. Negotiations for EU accession and compliance with the acquis will further strengthen these reforms and help assure their sustainability. Nonetheless, achievement of the acquis communataire will not be sufficient to assure Turkey's convergence with EU standards of living. To fully attain economic and social integration with Europe, and moreover to attain European living standards, Turkey will need to systematically raise the educational qualifications of its population up to international norms. The problems and challenges of Turkey's education system, and the reforms needed to transform it into one that helps all of the country's citizens develop advanced workforce competencies and a solid grasp of global knowledge, are the principal subjects of this report. This Education Sector Study (ESS) seeks to contribute to the current dialogue among researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders regarding the creation of a coherent, sector-wide strategy for improving Turkey’s pre-university education system. To this end, the ESS Team commissioned more than a dozen studies of key components of the