Turkey's Education Minister Yusuf Tekin reports 750,000 classrooms in 2025‑2026

Education Minister Yusuf Tekin told a gathering in Denizli that Turkey’s school‑classroom stock has risen from roughly 350,000 in 2002 to 750,000 for the 2025‑2026 academic year. He explained that many older classrooms were demolished after earthquakes and rebuilt to modern standards, and that the expansion has been reflected in positive UNDP assessments of the country’s educational infrastructure.

During the same event the minister presented letters sent by teachers in 2002 under Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit’s “Republic’s 100‑year” project. The letters expressed hopes for smaller class sizes (45‑50 students), computers in every classroom and schools free of basic problems such as rats. Tekin contrasted those aspirations with today’s situation, noting class sizes of nine pupils in high schools and 12‑15 in primary and middle schools, as well as universal internet access and smart‑board equipment.

Tekin credited the AK Party government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the reforms, stating, “If our President supports it, we can deliver these services,” and highlighted the continued priority of education in national policy.