"Regulation Amending the Regulation on Private Education Institutions of the Ministry of National Education" (the "Amendment Regulation") has been published by the Ministry of National Education ("Ministry") in the Official Gazette dated 5 August 2023 and numbered 32270 and it has been regulated the procedures and principles of opening and operation of the private education institutions (the "Institutions") regulated under the Regulation on Private Education Institutions of the Ministry of National Education (the "Regulation").

As per the Amendment Regulation, some amendments have been introduced on subjects such as the conditions for opening an institution, the annual working calendar and working hours, the conditions of institutions that can coexist, the appointment of field teachers, the evaluation of course schedules and achievement in curricula, student or trainee registration and transfer procedures, and fee determination. The regulations introduced under the Amendment Regulation are summarized as follows:

  • Within the scope of the conditions for the opening of Institutions, the founders are required to operate within the boundaries of the course program approved by the General Directorate of Private Education Institutions ("General Directorate"), to act together among the institutions and to limit the ability of the founders to develop their programs, to comply with the program determined by the Ministry, a commitment regulation has been introduced that they will implement the program published on the website of the General Directorate.
  • It is regulated that full-day education will be provided in private schools, and double and/or triple education is prevented.
  • New regulations have been introduced regarding the building conditions of the Institutions that can coexist. In particular, an amendment has been introduced that allows school buildings and playgrounds built in restricted areas to be partially enclosed by including the areas inside the building in the garden.
  • Provided that the class counsellor is assigned, subject teachers can be assigned for all subjects for third grades in addition to fourth grades.
  • In terms of education programs, course schedules, and evaluation of achievement, schools that will apply different practices in terms of weekly course schedules and curricula applied in public schools are obliged to submit their institutional regulations to the Ministry for approval every 8 years. In addition, it is stated that the regulations of the year in which the students entered will be valid for their graduation.
  • It has been regulated that students cannot be selected based on the results of intelligence tests and similar applications in enrolment and transfer procedures, and the regulation that students in high schools and equivalent schools can only attend courses or study centers on Saturdays has been amended to include weekends and extended to include Sundays.
  • By regulating the determination of the tuition fee, it has been ruled that (i) for intermediate classes, the fee announced in the previous academic year, and (ii) for students who are currently attending the school, the fee determined in the student enrolment contract shall be taken as the basis, and the fee increases shall not exceed 5 points more than the average of the average Domestic PPI of the previous year + the average CPI of the previous year.
  • In case there are scholarship students who are entitled to study free of charge, these students and trainees must be entered into MEBBİS (Ministry of National Education Information Systems) and e-school modules.
  • In addition to the above, schools are required to revise their institutional regulations within 2 years in line with the amendment and within the scope of the provision "Schools that will implement different practices from the weekly course schedule and curricula applied in equivalent public schools shall include these different practices in their institutional regulations and implement them after the permission of the Ministry." and submit them to the Ministry for approval.

In order to summarize, within the scope of the Amendment Regulation, certain principles and procedures of the Regulation have been amended in order to create unity in the transactions of the Institutions and to ensure consistency in practices. At the same time, outdated issues have been corrected and improvements have been made to facilitate the implementation.

The above-mentioned provisions have entered into force as of 5 August 2023, the date of publication of the Amendment Regulation.

Originally published 22-08-2023

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.