The expansion of compulsory education in Turkey: local and world culture dynamics

Abstract

Drawing on world culture and local culture explanations of educational change, this article aims to understand the dynamics of educational reform in Turkey in 1997 that expanded compulsory primary education from five to eight years. To do so, speeches given by opponents and proponents of the reform in the Turkish parliament were analysed. Imam-Hatip schools, vocational secondary schools for educating religious functionaries, were central to the debate. In support of world culture explanations, both sides of the debate made references to Western educational models and universal values such as democracy and human rights to frame and legitimise their arguments. However, all these arguments were embedded in local cultural and political issues. This article therefore proposes that both world culture and local culture should be considered when analysing national policy changes since local actors can easily appropriate global developments to support their local cultural and political interests.

Keywords:

• Turkey
• Imam-Hatip Schools
• world culture
• local culture
• expansion of compulsory primary education

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Paul Kingston, Christopher Einolf and Jeffrey Dill for their critical and useful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Prior to 1997, compulsory education consisted of five years of primary education. It was followed by six optional years of secondary education that consisted of three years of middle school and three years of high school. Under the new law, middle school of secondary schools became a part of the compulsory primary education that would last eight years, while high school education remained three years as before. In other words, the three-year increase in compulsory primary education was offset by a decrease in the time spent in secondary schools, including vocational schools, from six to three years.

2. The National Security Council was founded after the 1960 military coup to establish military control over civilian politics.

3. Students would graduate from primary education at this age when the reform was implemented.

4. A term used for those who memorise the whole Koran.

5. Although the first Imam-Hatip schools were opened in 1924, they had been closed in 1930 because of low numbers of students (Çakır, Bozan, and Talu 2004).

6. Islamic jurisprudence.

7. The explanation and interpretation of Koran.

8. Ataturk preached in a mosque during his Balıkesir visit in February 1923.

9. Islamic holy war against the infidels as a religious duty