New step in education from the Ministry of National Education: Multi-foreign language model begins

The Ministry of National Education is implementing a significant reform regarding foreign language education in middle schools. The multi-foreign language education model, which will move out of the pilot phase in the 2025-2026 academic year, will be applied across all grade levels in middle schools in all 81 provinces.

DETAILS OF THE NEW CURRICULUM ANNOUNCED

Within the scope of the Ministry's new model, students' weekly course hours have been planned as follows:

5th-grade students will take 14 hours of English and 2 hours of German per week. While English course hours will gradually decrease in higher grades, German instruction will remain constant at all grade levels.

COURSE DISTRIBUTION BY GRADE

6th-grade students will take 8 hours of English and 2 hours of German, 7th-grade students will take 7 hours of English and 2 hours of German, and 8th-grade students will take 5 hours of English and 2 hours of German.

FREE EDUCATION GUARANTEE

Education in schools under the multi-foreign language education model will be completely free. The Ministry of National Education announced that it will not request any fees from parents and will distribute textbooks free of charge.

FROM PILOT APPLICATION TO NATIONWIDE EXPANSION

The model, which was launched as a pilot application in the 2023-2024 academic year, has been decided to be expanded across all of Turkey following successful results. This development is an important step in strengthening foreign language instruction in the Turkish education system.

SCHOOL SELECTION AND REGISTRATION PROCESS

The list of new schools to be included in the application will be announced by July 18. In line with parental requests, regular classes may also be opened in the same schools, thus providing families with the right to choose.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GERMAN EDUCATION

The selection of German as a second foreign language was made by taking into account the strong economic and social ties between Turkey and Germany. The Turkish population living in Germany and the opportunities for cooperation form the basis of this decision.

TEACHING STAFF

The Ministry of National Education continues its efforts to strengthen the necessary German teaching staff for multi-foreign language education. Foreign language teacher appointment processes will be a priority in this context.

GOAL OF QUALITY IN EDUCATION

With this application, it is aimed to increase the language proficiency of Turkish students in the international arena. Multi-language skills will provide an important advantage that will expand future career opportunities.

This system, which will begin with the 2025-2026 academic year, is considered a turning point in the history of Turkish education in terms of foreign language instruction.