Turkey's Education Minister Yusuf Tekin Highlights Major School Infrastructure Gains

Education Minister Yusuf Tekin reported that teacher numbers in Bursa have risen from 16,568 in 2002‑2003 to 42,917, a 2.5‑fold increase. Classroom counts grew from 9,488 to 25,407, reducing student‑teacher ratios from 30 pupils per teacher to 19 in primary schools and 14 in secondary schools. Nationwide, the number of school classes expanded from around 350,000 in 2002 to an estimated 750,000 for the 2025‑2026 academic year.

Tekin said the reforms are part of the "Turkey’s Century of Education Model," which updates curricula with pedagogic and technological innovations and stresses national values. He warned that social media can erode cultural cohesion, prompting initiatives to promote traditional games, regional foods and gastronomy education. New gastronomy high schools and a baklava workshop were inaugurated in Istanbul, and dozens of regional cheese varieties were catalogued.

The minister emphasized that the education system now aims to develop skills rather than just transmit knowledge, aligning Turkey with international standards while preserving cultural heritage.