Breaking News: Pedagogical Formation Abolished! The Ministry of National Education (MEB) issued an urgent announcement regarding the status of the pedagogical formation program. According to the statement, the MEB and the Board of Education and Discipline (Talim ve Terbiye Kurulu) decided that the certificate-level pedagogical formation training offered by higher education institutions would lose its validity. This decision, recorded on 29 June 2020 as Decision No. 12, affects the certification program that was provided to students who studied outside faculties of education and who sought teacher qualifications despite having degrees in fields other than teaching.
Has the Formation Program Been Abolished? Latest Statement from MEB
Is the pedagogical formation program abolished? According to the latest information, the 2023 education vision document proposed replacing the certificate-based “Pedagogical Formation” with graduate-level programs. However, that decision had not been fully implemented for some time and the situation remained unclear. In this context, the MEB Board of Education and Discipline, with its decision dated 29 June 2020 (Decision No. 12), determined that the certificate-level pedagogical formation programs operated by higher education institutions would no longer be valid. This decision has been communicated to all universities through the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
Who Was Eligible for Pedagogical Formation Training?
Who could receive pedagogical formation training? The MEB’s announcement clarified the prior eligibility requirements for the certificate-level pedagogical formation programs offered by higher education institutions. Thousands of prospective teachers had followed this decision closely. To be eligible for formation, candidates originally needed to be enrolled in one of the departments designated by the Ministry as eligible for pedagogical formation. Even if a candidate was still studying, they typically had to have completed at least two semesters to apply.
You could check whether your department was eligible on the MEB website. In addition to studying in an eligible program, candidates had to meet several criteria such as academic grade point average, university entrance exam score, and disciplinary record. For graduates, a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale was generally required. Another condition was that the applicant’s university had to be among those approved by YÖK for offering formation programs; each year YÖK circulated lists specifying which universities and which departments could enroll how many candidates.
What Is Pedagogical Formation?
What is pedagogical formation? Pedagogical formation was a training program designed for individuals who wanted to become teachers but whose degrees were not in teacher-training departments and who did not study at a faculty of education. Students already enrolled in education faculties or in teacher training programs (for example, a literature education program) did not need to take separate formation courses, because their degree programs already covered pedagogical training. The required length and content of formation training depended on the student’s academic standing: for graduates it typically lasted two semesters; for first-year undergraduates, six semesters; for second-year students, four semesters; and for third- and fourth-year students, two semesters.