Education
The secular education system in Turkey is based on Western models. The introduction of the Latin script (1928) instead of the Arabic script and the exclusion of Koran lessons from schools were groundbreaking. As a result of the 2012 educational reform, compulsory schooling was raised from eight to twelve years from the age of five and a half. Attending state schools is free and co-educational. Voluntary pre-school education is mainly offered in cities. The school system comprises the four-year primary school (elementary school) and a two-tier secondary school area with a four-year middle school (intermediate level) and subsequent four-year vocational, technical and general high schools. In addition to the state schools, the number of religious schools increased sharply from 2001 onwards. In addition to religion as a compulsory subject, the optional subjects Koran, Arabic and the life of Mohammed have been included and the theory of evolution has been removed from the curriculum. The Abitur is a prerequisite for admission to a university, technical college or vocational college. The graduates of religious schools were put on an equal footing with those of other schools. In the higher education sector there are 129 state and around 72 private universities; the oldest universities are the Hacettepe University in Ankara (founded in 1967 in the tradition of the University of Kayseri, founded in 1206) and the University of Istanbul, which dates back to the 15th century. Arabic and the Life of Mohammed added and the theory of evolution removed from the curriculum. According to topschoolsintheusa, the Abitur is a prerequisite for admission to a university, technical college or vocational college. The graduates of religious schools were put on an equal footing with those of other schools. In the higher education sector there are 129 state and around 72 private universities; the oldest universities are the Hacettepe University in Ankara (founded in 1967 in the tradition of the University of Kayseri, founded in 1206) and the University of Istanbul, which dates back to the 15th century. Arabic and the Life of Mohammed added and the theory of evolution removed from the curriculum. The Abitur is a prerequisite for admission to a university, technical college or vocational college. The graduates of religious schools were put on an equal footing with those of other schools. In the higher education sector there are 129 state and around 72 private universities; the oldest universities are the Hacettepe University in Ankara (founded in 1967 in the tradition of the University of Kayseri, founded in 1206) and the University of Istanbul, which dates back to the 15th century. The graduates of religious schools were put on an equal footing with those of other schools. In the higher education sector there are 129 state and around 72 private universities; the oldest universities are the Hacettepe University in Ankara (founded in 1967 in the tradition of the University of Kayseri, founded in 1206) and the University of Istanbul, which dates back to the 15th century. The graduates of religious schools were put on an equal footing with those of other schools. In the higher education sector there are 129 state and around 72 private universities; the oldest universities are the Hacettepe University in Ankara (founded in 1967 in the tradition of the University of Kayseri, founded in 1206) and the University of Istanbul, which dates back to the 15th century.
Media
Despite being anchored in the constitution, freedom of the press is restricted and journalists are repeatedly exposed to repression, including imprisonment and torture. Since the attempted coup in 2016, around 200 media outlets have been closed because, according to the government, they were close to the Kurds or the Gülen movement. In particular, the government-critical and Kurdish-speaking media are under pressure, although changes to the law have been made to meet the criteria for joining the EU (e.g. licensing of television programs in non-Turkish language). Media concentration is well advanced in Turkey, with competitive pressures being intensified by the intertwining of media power and economic interests. The largest media group in the country is the Dogan Media Group (DMG) with the newspapers, numerous magazines and television stations. Several large conglomerates operate media in addition to other areas, often for political reasons. 90% of the media are personally or financially linked to the ruling AKP party.
Press: The daily newspapers with the highest circulation are the nationally published mass papers »Hürriyet«, »Sabah«, »Milliyet« and »Türkiye« as well as the tabloids »Posta«, »Takvim«, »Akşam« and »Star«. An important regional newspaper is the “Yeni Asır” published in İzmir. For the Turks living in Germany, most of the larger newspapers provide German editions, some of which also appear in German or in German-Turkish editions. The newspaper »Zaman« is now banned.
News Agencies: The main news agency is Anatolian News Agency (Anadolu). Several agencies were closed by the AKP government from 2016.
Broadcasting: Since the abolition of the state radio and television monopoly (1993), there has been a large number of private broadcasters that serve not only commercial but also political interests. The supervisory authority for the audiovisual media is the State Supreme Radio and Television Council (Radio ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu / RTÜK) established in 1994. The state broadcasting company Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT), founded in 1964, broadcasts a large number of programs, all of which are considered to be close to the government and subordinate their programs to political goals. There are also private channels, most of which also support the AKP government. There are also state and private broadcasters in the radio sector.
