Expanding girls' education in Turkey

91955 Expanding Girls' Education in Turkey September 17, 2002 In the early and mid-1990s, falling enrollment rates plagued Turkey’s school system.  In 1997, the country launched a Basic Education Program, partially funded by two World Bank projects of $300 million each.  This program has allowed the government to extend the duration of compulsory education from five years to eight years, and to pursue nationwide improvements in the quality of basic education.  It includes a number of major initiatives to expand school capacity, to upgrade teaching and learning materials, and to improve school attendance. During 1999, the program constructed 802 basic education schools and expanded 1,106 existing basic education schools.  The additional space brought a 802,000 new students into Turkish schools.  In 2000, another 4,152 basic education classrooms were built, creating space for 125,000 more students.  Although total basic education enrollment had declined during the six years prior to the program’s launch, it increased by 900,000 since September 1998—an unprecedented result. Girls’ enrollment in rural areas has made the most rapid progress—with enrollment in sixth grade increasing by 162 percent during the program’s first year, and with continuing increases in the years afterward.  Coverage, in terms of the proportion of the age group enrolled in basic education, increased by 1.5 million, surging to 91% in 1999/2000 from 76 percent in 1996/1997. Related Links:   Turkey  Education   Updated: September 2002