Students across Türkiye step into two-week midyear recess

ISTANBUL

Around 19 million students across Türkiye have stepped into a well-deserved two-week winter recess as schools wrapped up the season on Jan. 16 with report cards and the nationwide rollout of innovative “development reports” under the country’s new education model.

Following a journey that began on Sept. 8, students from preschool to high school finished their first semester after receiving their final assessments.

In a fundamental shift under the Education Ministry’s comprehensive new curriculum reform, traditional grading has taken a backseat to a more dynamic assessment model designed to capture a student’s true potential and evolving skill set.

As part of this shift, traditional report cards for first and second graders have evolved into “development reports,” offering a more nuanced look at a child’s progress.

Moving away from rigid numerical scores, these reports offer a meaningful roadmap of a student’s journey, providing rich feedback on their strengths and growth areas with a deep focus on social and emotional maturity.

Officials say the aim is to help parents better understand how their children are progressing academically and emotionally, and to allow teachers to monitor development more systematically over time.

In middle and high schools, report cards remain in place for this semester.

However, the second semester will mark a significant expansion, introducing “development reports” to complement the report cards of students in grades 5 and 6, as well as for preparatory, 9th and 10th grades.

In the final week before the break, schools once again held the end-of-term culture, arts and sports week, a program introduced last year to encourage student participation in non-academic activities.

Throughout the week, students took part in artistic, cultural, scientific and sports-based events, including reading and writing workshops, library-centered activities, traditional games, tournaments, social responsibility projects and creative exhibitions.

Many schools also organized documentary and animation screenings.

As part of a nationwide initiative, students, accompanied by teachers, walked through streets and commercial areas holding colorful cards with greeting messages, offering good wishes to shopkeepers and passersby.

Students will enjoy their reprieve until Jan. 30, before returning to the classroom to launch the second half of the academic year on Feb. 2.

Education experts emphasize that the midyear break is not only a pause from classes but a necessary period for rest and reflection.