Distance Education and Public Education Centres in Turkey Tekkeköy Halk Eğitimi Merkezi

Since 1982, there are two primary forms of distance education in Turkey which are the Open Education Faculty (OEF) at Anadolu University in Eskisehir and the Open High Schools& Primary School (OHS) through the Ministry of National Education.

The OEF, which has been operating since 1982, delivers undergraduate degree programs and other programs to Turks throughout Turkey, Europe, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Teacher Training Project, West Europe Project-High School and degree level-, Tourism Certificate Project and Nursing Education Project are just some of the programs offered by the OEF.

The OHS is a widespread secondary education program, which has been operating since 1992. The purpose of the OHS is to allow traditional and non-traditional students, who for one reason or another have not completed secondary school, with an opportunity to get a high school diploma. Then, in 1997 when primary school education became compulsory and for 8 years by the government, the Open Primary school started to give education for the people who couldn’t accomplish their primary education for 8 years in order to complete their compulsory education and get their diploma.

The curriculum is the same as for traditional primary/high school students. The technologies for both programs include specially designed textbooks and other printed materials including news letters and bulletins, television and radio broadcasts; technologies for the OEF include videotapes and face-to-face lectures at universities throughout the country. Examinations for both programmes are offered in a variety of locations, usually in cities and larger towns. Computer-aided instruction is being introduced into schools nationwide. The other distance education technologies such as television, video, printed materials are the primary media used widely to deliver instruction.

The educational materials (books, bulletins, CDs, internet modules, television and radio) for these programmes are provided by General Directorate of Educational Technologies. http://egitek.meb.gov.tr/index.asp

Distance education mainly provides learner-content interaction in OHS Distance education mainly provides learner-content interaction in OHS. It is designed to occur through self-instruction with textbooks and optional television and radio broadcasts. Learner-instructor interaction occurs at the OEF through lectures delivered weekly in university classrooms and auditoriums in cities and towns in the evenings and on weekends. Learner-learner interaction is not part of the formal design of Turkish distance education programs. Because the educational system emphasizes rote learning and memorization, learners are typically required to recite and memorize from their texts. However, the Turkish culture itself fosters interaction among OEF and OHS students through their work sites, in face-to-face lectures (open university), and in courses that students attend outside of the distance education programs.

http://egitek.meb.gov.tr/aok/aok.html

http://www.aol.meb.gov.tr/ana-sayfa.asp

http://egitek.meb.gov.tr/aok/Aok_Kitaplar/Kitaplar_Aol.htm

http://internettv.meb.gov.tr/

Public Education Centre’s implemantations in the education are enrollment of the students to OHS, renewing their enrollments every term, providing their books and other newsletters, preparing student’s ID cards, taking their exams, informing and counseling the students and preparing their High School Diploma.

Login of Public Centre in Open Education Module

Login of the student

Besides, our centre provides non-formal education in face to face such as ICT courses, literacy courses, vocational courses( textile machinery, embroidery, home furnishing, fabric painting, hairdressing, etc), social&cultural activities, trainings such as sports and folk dance.

In Turkey, only public education centres are authorized to give certificate of proficiency of some vocations for the people who don’t go to vocational high school and would like to get a vocational quality. That is why most of our vocational courses are attended by women who want to get a profession, run their bussiness and earn money for their family. Therefore public education centres have very important role in development of the society economically and socially.