27.01.2025 11:00
The Ministry of National Education announced that it is illegal for private schools to demand additional fees under the names of 'general expenses' and 'other fees' from parents without providing services in return. The ministry stated that a letter has been sent to all provinces to prevent this situation.
The Ministry of National Education (MEB) announced that it is against legal regulations for some private schools that have started student registrations for the 2025-2026 academic year to demand additional fees from parents under the names of "general expenses" and "other fees" without providing a specific service in return. According to the statement made by the Ministry, a letter was sent to all provinces indicating that private schools cannot demand additional fees from parents under the names of "other fees" or "general expenses" that do not represent a concrete service.
THE TITLE "SIMILAR SERVICES" IS USED FOR UNINTENDED PURPOSES
The letter stated that complaints had reached the Ministry regarding some private schools that announced their fees for student registrations for the 2025-2026 academic year, demanding fees from parents under headings such as "general expenses" and "other fees." It pointed to the relevant provisions in the "Private Educational Institutions Law" and the "Regulation on Private Educational Institutions." The letter indicated that the expression "similar services" was included in the legislation, considering that each school may have a different range of services, and noted that some private schools were not using this title appropriately based on the complaints received by the Ministry.
FEES CANNOT BE COLLECTED UNDER THE TITLE "GENERAL EXPENSES" AND "OTHER FEES"
The letter stated that the concept of "similar services" refers to services similar to those provided before and is aimed at a concrete service. It included the following warnings: It is clear that collecting fees under the names of "general expenses" and "other fees," which are intended to collect fees in advance for expenses that are not related to education and teaching or for expenses that may arise in the future, is not in accordance with the legislation and is an attempt to exceed the limitations set by law and regulation. The letter warned that schools cannot determine and announce any fees that do not correspond to a specific service and cannot collect fees under the names of "general expenses" or "other fees," and that there are penalties in the legislation for such situations.