Erdoğan says new curriculum to boost Türkiye's global standing

ISTANBUL

The new curriculum recently approved by the Education Ministry will enhance the country's international success, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

"With the new curriculum, we aim for students to be solution-oriented, competent individuals who study, research and question national, spiritual and human values," Erdoğan said during a gathering in Istanbul on June 7.

The new curriculum dubbed the "Maarif [Education] model" is designed to align with international standards and address global demands for advanced science and technology, according to Erdoğan.

He emphasized that Türkiye has recently shown improvement in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) administered a study evaluating the scholastic performance of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science and reading.

Erdoğan expressed confidence that the new model would further enhance Türkiye's PISA rankings.

The Education Ministry reported receiving over 38,000 opinions and suggestions from teachers on the draft curriculum, alongside around 28,000 inputs from nongovernmental organizations and education platforms.

The new curriculum is set to be implemented gradually starting next academic year, initially targeting preschool, first grade, fifth grade and first-year high school students.

Responding to criticism, Erdoğan called for the topic of education to be "kept away from the contentious area of daily political debates."

Some education unions and NGOs have argued that the new model is ideologically driven rather than focused on addressing deficiencies in current programs. Erdoğan countered by stating that his administration had eradicated segregation in education.

"Unfortunately, we have not had an education model that reflects us since the republic period," he said.

"Our education system was based on rote learning. We have survived for many years with an education system that did not give art, sports, culture and literature the value they deserved and did not encourage questioning."

The president also condemned the past prevalence of "prohibitionism and standardization," including the headscarf ban in universities.

"They did not want the curriculum to be enriched. They did everything to prevent a real class change in Türkiye," he added.