Is the 4+4+4 education system changing? The 4+4+3 proposal
Following statements by Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin regarding the duration of compulsory education, three educational associations have proposed reducing high school duration to three years and transitioning to a 4+4+3 system.
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Following statements by Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin indicating that discussions regarding the duration of compulsory education would be on the agenda, proposals for changes to the education system have resurfaced. In a report prepared by the Enderun Original Educators Association, the Maarif Platform, and the Civilization Institute, it was stated that the current 4+4+4 system should be reviewed, and it was proposed that high school education be reduced to three years and a transition be made to a 4+4+3 model.
''COMPULSORY EDUCATION HINDERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT''
In the workshop report titled "The Turkish Education System and the Reflections of Compulsory Education," it was argued that 12 years of compulsory education negatively affects students' ability to develop their talents, acquire a profession, and enter professional life at an early age. The report included the following statements:
"Compulsory high school education has become a new name for unemployment by increasing the pressure to attend university. The chance for a student reaching university age to become a qualified worker with the professional skills that industry needs most is decreasing. Therefore, the last four years of compulsory education should be abolished, and high school education should be reduced to three years. For students who wish to continue, it should be optional."
EMPHASIS ON VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
The report emphasized that the shortage of intermediate staff in Turkey is a serious problem and stated that vocational high schools should be made more attractive, including the following remarks:
"Vocational high schools should no longer be schools that students are forced to attend because they cannot get into other high schools. To this end, vocational education can be positioned as the first step of engineering education. The curriculum should be reorganized in this direction, and vocational high schools should be made the primary choice for students who want to become engineers."