Eğitim-Bir-Sen (Educators Trade Union) shared its Education Overview 2021: Monitoring and Evaluation Report with the public yesterday. While the necessity of making a lot of effort in this area is reflected in the report, the figures revealed that some areas are thought-provoking.
SHOCK DECREASE IN 5 YEARS OLD SCHOOLING RATE
One of the most important data reflected in the report was the preschool schooling rate. It was recorded in the report that the negative effects of the pandemic related to this field, which is among the new targets of the Ministry of National Education (MEB), were mostly seen in preschool. It was stated in the report that the net schooling rate in the 5-year-old group decreased by 16,6 percentage points compared to the previous year and realized as 58,5 percent.
OVERALL NUMBERS OF SCHOOLING IN HIGH SCHOOL ARE HIGH, EXCEPT SENIOR YEAR
In the report, it was observed that the schooling rate, especially at the high school level, was high. According to the figures, the net schooling rate for the 14-17 age group is 90,76 percent, which is slightly higher for boys (91,01 percent) than for girls (90,49 percent). The average of net schooling rate for age 17, is 90 percent for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and 82 percent for Turkey. Even though the figure is low for the senior year of high school, it is stated in the report that only 10 percent of students are excluded from the education system at the high school level.
TURKEY FALLS BEHIND COLOMBIA
Another data disclosed in the report is about the employment of high school graduates. In the recommendations section of the report, “In the last five-year period, while the employment rates of both general and high school equivalent vocational school graduates have decreased, there has been an increase in unemployment rates. In addition, the ratio of young people between the ages of 18-24 who are neither in education nor in employment in Turkey (32 percent) is in the last place after Colombia, far behind the average of OECD countries (15 percent). It is very worrying that the rate of those who are neither in education nor in employment is so high,” the report warned.
YALÇIN: “INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES MUST BE PRIORITIZED”
Evaluating the report, ‘Memur-Sen’ and ‘Eğitim-Bir-Sen’ Chairman Ali Yalçın stated that it is critically important to eliminate inequality in education opportunities. “Policy and practices aimed at providing more equal educational opportunities to all children can be implemented at the level of the classroom, school and education system. Despite many positive indicators in the Turkish education system in recent years, issues such as regional inequalities in education, equal opportunities, transition between levels and the quality of education, which have become chronic problems, are still waiting for a solution,” Yalçın said.