Turkey's Education Ministry under pressure over soaring private school fees and extra‑lesson pay cuts

Private schools in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, have announced tuition and service package fees for the 2026‑2027 academic year that reach up to 2.75 million lira annually, far surpassing the legally permitted increase caps of 30.74% and 43.92% set by the Ministry of Education. Parents report that the combined cost of tuition, meals, uniforms, books and extracurricular activities has turned enrollment into a budget crisis, and they are urged to verify fees against legal limits and can file written complaints to local education directorates.

At the same time, the teachers’ union Eğitim Gücü Sen has filed a formal request with the Ministry to reverse recent changes to the extra‑lesson remuneration system. The new regulations remove the weekly 2‑hour premium pay for administrators in schools that run dual‑class schedules, a right previously guaranteed by the 8th collective bargaining agreement. The union argues that the change unfairly burdens staff handling dual‑class programmes and demands restoration of the premium across all schools.