Changes and Challenges

Education is one of the most important fundamentals of a society. But if that society is located on a very important land, its education system is very much open to manipulation.

The Ministry of Education constantly invites huge educational challenges into the lives of the students. They change the system every year, so they manipulate the future of millions.

Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city so different kinds of public and private schools are available.

If the parents can stand against the economical tsunamis, they tend to construct their child’s education on a successful private school.

Some of the parents prefer IBO schools because that the system is internationally accepted in which the child acquires valuable skills.

During PYP, children are able to embrace and initialize most of the attitudes, learn many ways to inquire a subject and have the opportunity to reflect themselves.

After getting the PYP authorization from IBO, schools start the practice of PYP. On the other hand they do not push themselves to continue with the MYP or DP.

Because there is the student evaluation system called SBS in Turkey, which is put into rule by the Ministry of Education.

Every student has to take the SBS test in order to continue his/her education at a high school.

It is a multiple choice test which drags the students into a variety of tests right after they learn how to read.  Testing and PYP go in parallel to each other at the private primary schools although IBO and SBS are completely opposite organizations.

As a result the inevitable challenges for students, parents and teachers occur.

If MYP is available then SBS success of the school gets lower. The schools take no risks losing parents therefore money. They continue with loading knowledge through memorization and testing that knowledge under the circumstances of SBS.

While students continue their studies at private schools, they also continue at least one SBS course or they study with a one-on-one teacher at the weekends. It is a big challenge for the parents because they have to pay 25.000 Liras (12.500 Euros) for the private school 15.000 Liras (7.500 Euros) for the SBS courses. How tiring is that for a student who is also under the pressure of the ultimate success?

After this unbelievable marathon, students enter the SBS exam of 100 questions and their achievement clarifies the high school that they can apply for education.

After 8 years of education only one test.

The child starts with the PYP  to his/her education life, asks questions, values life, experiences the beautiful stages of learning and self-evaluating then all of a sudden he/she finds herself in the middle of a no-questioning town because of the changing policies of Ministry of Education every year.

Children lose their cognitive and creative skills and experience the same marathon for another 4 years, this time for the university.

It is very unfortunate that students are expected to shape their future this way. It is also very unfortunate for a teacher who has to construct his/her teaching values on a system like SBS because that it’s a must and there is no other choice.