Education in the Republican Era: A Brief Critique

Abstract

Realizing that military victory in the War of Independence was not sufficient to make Turkey an independent and powerful country, Atatürk presented teachers with the new target of reaching the contemporary level of civilization. Such an aim could only be, achieved with a well educated human capital. This article overviews the educational practices of the Republican era in relation to world-wide competition, contemporaneity, the role of science and technology, and educating the masses. The major problems examined are inadequate funding, failing to come to long term policy decisions, lack of ability in organizing adult and informal education activities, lack of integration with the business world, the highly centralized structure of the MOE, a narrowly defined concept of equality of educational opportunity, inconsistent teacher training models, the low educational quality at all levels of schooling, and the lack of incorporating scientific and rational thinking into education as well as in the everyday lives of the citizens. The paper also includes some suggestions for future improvements.