22.12.2025 16:37
The Ministry of National Education stated that the expression "612 thousand children do not attend school," mentioned in a column, does not reflect the truth. In the statement, it was said, "The claimed number is based on a faulty calculation resulting from the combined evaluation of data regarding the 'school-age population, including foreign nationals' and the 'enrollment rates calculated only for Turkish citizens.'"
The Ministry of National Education (MEB) made a statement regarding an opinion piece titled "Not educating girls is a chemical weapon" published in a national newspaper.
DENIAL OF THE CLAIM "612 THOUSAND CHILDREN ARE NOT GOING TO SCHOOL"
It was stated that the expressions in the article, "The Education Reform Initiative published a very important report on school enrollment in education. According to the report, 612 thousand children aged 6-17 in compulsory education are not attending school at all. 46.5% of those not attending school are girls and 53.5% are boys," do not reflect the truth. The statement also emphasized that the school enrollment rates of the population in compulsory education in Turkey have reached international standards and have exceeded the OECD averages in many indicators.
“IT IS BASED ON A FAULTY CALCULATION”
The statement included the following expressions: "According to the OECD's 'Education at a Glance 2025' report, the school enrollment rate in Turkey for the age group of 6-14, which is comparable for compulsory education, is 99%, which is above the OECD average of 98%. According to the same report, the school enrollment rate for girls aged 6-14 in our country is 99.19%. The number of children claimed to be outside of education is based on a faulty calculation resulting from the combined evaluation of data regarding 'the population of foreign nationals included in the age population' and 'the school enrollment rates calculated only for Turkish citizens.'
We strongly request that misleading information based on a faulty calculation, which is not supported by information and documents, and similar news, comments, and shares that unnecessarily occupy the public agenda, especially our education community, should not be taken into account."