Schools: New Term Scenarios — How Will Education Take Place? Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk stated that preparations are underway to open schools according to every possible scenario for the new term. He shared details of the proposed application options with members of parliament. Minister Selçuk met with members of the National Education Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and provided extensive information about the EBA system. He also gave detailed updates on work carried out for the planned school reopening on Monday, 31 August 2020. In response to the question “Will schools open?”, he said decisions about whether schools will open and, if so, how education will be carried out, will be made in line with the recommendations of the Scientific Committee. Based on his messages to deputies and the explanations about the preparations, the new term plans were outlined as follows.
If the Pandemic Risk Continues
If pandemic risk continues: the Ministry of National Education has prepared a wide range of scenarios to cover all possibilities. Minister Selçuk said work on these scenarios has already begun. If the outbreak does not subside, distance education will be implemented. For this purpose, any defects in the EBA system will be resolved and new features or additions will be made to support remote learning.
Hybrid Model School System
Hybrid Model: Minister Selçuk indicated that the hybrid model is the second option and currently appears to be the most feasible approach. Under this model, schools will be divided into two groups and students will attend on alternate days. One group would come to school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while the other group would attend on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Only Core Subjects at School
Only core subjects: During the days students attend in person, instruction will focus on core subjects. The plan is to prioritize subjects such as Turkish language, mathematics, science, physics and chemistry during in-school lessons. Instruction time for these core subjects will be reduced. Subjects such as history, geography, physical education and arts would be delivered through distance education.
Shorter Lesson Periods
Shorter lesson periods: Minister Selçuk announced that, due to the pandemic, lesson durations could be shortened to around 30 minutes. This measure aims to prevent students from remaining in the same indoor environment for extended periods. With both fewer lessons and shorter lesson lengths, the total time students spend at school will be reduced.
Transforming Vacant Buildings into Schools
Transforming unused buildings into schools: Minister Selçuk explained that work is underway to meet school space needs that may emerge due to distancing requirements. The ministry is taking several measures. For example, approximately 600,000 additional students enter high school each year, and about 1.2 million students transition from middle to high school annually. Because the school starting age was lowered to 60 months, children who began school earlier will reach high school this year, increasing the number of incoming high school students to about 1.7 million. The pandemic requires a separate response to accommodate this growth.
Renovating unused schools: Across Turkey, approximately 12,000 school buildings are currently unusable for various reasons. The plan is to renovate around 7,000 of those schools so they become usable again. Renovation works have already started, with a target to make these schools available by 31 March 2021. In addition, low-enrollment public higher education buildings and other suitable public facilities will be repurposed to help meet capacity needs.