Financing for equity in pre-primary education

1. Education resources to subnational governments

3. Education resources to students and families

4. Social policies and family support programmes

Introduction

Key financing indicators (UIS Data)

The official entrance age to pre-primary education is 3 years old, with 3 years of tuition-free pre-primary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. However, families pay monthly contributions for learning materials, stationery, nutrition and cleaning services, which are regulated by the Ministry of National Education.

According to UIS data, in 2022, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary was 48%, while the adjusted net enrolment rate for the year before the official primary entry age was 99%.

According to government data, the enrolment rate for pre-primary education (5-year-olds) was 87% in 2024. In 2025, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education (ISCED 02) stood at 49%. In terms of institutional composition, state schools account for approximately 72% of total pre-primary enrolment, while private institutions account for the remaining 28%. Enrolment rates in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia remain considerably below the national average, with the gap being particularly pronounced in provinces with large Kurdish- and Arabic-speaking populations whose mother tongue differs from the language of instruction.

Governance

The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) is generally responsible for the provision and funding of education of children above the age of 3. The educational processes of institutions established by ministries or organizations other than the Ministry of National Education and providing services to pre-school age children are also supervised by the Ministry of National Education. The care of children under the age of 3 overseen by the Ministry of Family and Social Services. In addition to this dual governance structure, early childhood provision includes municipal childcare centres, institutional childcare centres established under the Civil Servants Law, 4–6 age group courses operated by the Directorate of Religious Affairs, and private nurseries and day-care centres.

The institution responsible for budget planning and allocating funds to the relevant ministries is the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye – Strategy and Budget Directorate. The Ministry of National Education finances education services in public pre-primary education institutions, which are attended by 72% of children at the pre-primary level. The financing of public institutions affiliated with other ministries, attended by 9% of children at the pre-primary level, is provided by the respective ministries. In private institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education and other ministries, financing is largely covered by parents.

Pre-primary education covers children aged 3-5 years and is only mandatory for children with special educational needs, starting at the age of 3 (with the government exploring the introduction of compulsory pre-primary education since 2010). Education services are free of charge in public pre-primary education institutions serving children aged 3-5 years. Legislation guarantees that no contribution fees are determined in a way that would hinder the expansion and development of pre-primary education or place an economic burden on parents, and that fully free services are provided for children from disadvantaged families.

Under the Ministry of National Education (MoNE), pre-primary education is provided through kindergartens (anaokulları), pre-primary classes (anasınıfları) and practice classes (uygulama sınıfları). According to the official statistics of the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) for the 2024–25 academic year, 86% of children of pre-primary school age (aged 3–5 years) attend public and private early childhood education institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. The remaining 13.6% attend public and private institutions affiliated with other institutions/ministries. According to the Ministry of National Education’s 2026 Performance Programme, the budget allocated to pre-primary education amounted to TRY 43 billion in 2025.

At the pre-primary level, government expenditure in Turkey increased substantially by 31% between 2015 and 2022, largely due to a 67% increase in the number of children enrolled. Nevertheless, government expenditure per child decreased by 22% over this period. In addition, 81.5% of pre-primary education funding in Turkey comes from public sources after transfers, indicating a comparatively higher reliance on private — predominantly household — contributions at this level. This data indicates that Turkey maintains a centralised structure in education financing, while managing household and private sector participation through parental contributions (katkı payı) and subsidies.

In the 2026-27 academic year, the scope of pre-primary education is being broadened through amendments to education legislation with the introduction of “Children’s Activity and Play Houses” (Çocuk Etkinlik ve Oyun Evi)—a part-time, out-of-school institution serving children aged 25–72 months and offering play-based social, cultural, artistic and physical activities—regulated as a private educational establishment under the framework of private education regulations.

Tuition-free status

Public pre-primary education institutions provide services to children aged 3–5 free of charge. Legislation stipulates that contribution fees must not be set in a manner that restricts the expansion and development of pre-primary education or impose financial burdens on parents, while ensuring that children from disadvantaged families receive fully free services.

1. Education resources to subnational governments

Türkiye has a relatively large and highly centralised education system. At the provincial level, the Ministry is organized into provincial national education directorates, district national education directorates, and school/institution directorates. Türkiye has 81 provincial and 922 district directorates of national education, which are mainly responsible for overseeing policy implementation and compliance.

The Ministry of National Education allocates budgets for pre-primary, primary and secondary education to provincial and district directorates of education within the framework of the School-Based Budgeting (Okul Bazlı Bütçeleme) system.

There is no equity-oriented allocation formula currently in place in Türkiye, however, the MoNE allocates budgets to provincial and district directorates of national education within the framework of the School-Based Budgeting (Okul Bazlı Bütçeleme) system. Under the supervision of local education directorates, each school submits its budget needs using two key digital platforms: MEBBİS and e-Okul. MEBBİS (Ministry of National Education Information System) is a centralised administrative management system used by the Ministry to oversee school operations, including budgeting, personnel, and resource management. e-Okul is a student information system that tracks student enrollment, attendance, academic performance, and other data essential for planning and budgeting at the school level. Based on this data, along with various factors such as the number of students and climatic conditions, which serve as reference particularly for electricity, water, and heating expenses, the Ministry of National Education calculates the budget for provincial and district directorates of national education.

Care and education services for children aged 0–3 (up to 36 months) are coordinated by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, with administrative and operational procedures carried out at the provincial level through its Provincial Directorates (İl Müdürlükleri).

2. Education resources to institutions

Early childhood education institutions are allocated funding based on the number of students, classrooms, and location. In addition to government allocations, pre-primary institutions also receive contributions from families, special provincial administration budgets, project funds, donations, municipalities, private individuals, and organizations.

Throughout the years, the Ministry of National Education has further implemented several projects to increase access to early childhood education institutions for the most disadvantaged students. These include:

The Increasing Quality of and Access to Early Childhood Education Project (launched in 2022 and co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey) – aiming to ensure all children, and especially the most disadvantaged (such as those in remote areas) have access to early childhood education.
Access Models for Early Childhood Education Institutions: In order to increase access to early childhood education and ensure that all children—particularly those living in rural areas—can benefit from education, the Ministry of National Education implements several access models in line with the Implementation Directive on Access Models for Early Childhood Education Institutions. These models include temporary village pre-primary classes, pre-primary classes in transportation centres, home-based early childhood education, and summer education access models. Implementation of these practices began in 2017, and the Directive was officially issued on 10 February 2025. As a result, these practices have been placed on a more detailed and robust legislative and regulatory basis.
The Inclusive Early Childhood Project for Children with Disabilities (2017-2019), which was pilotedin 90 schools, aimed to enhance the enrolment of children with special needs in early childhood education.

In 2022, the government additionally lowered the minimum requirement for opening pre-primary classes in rural towns and villages from ten to five students, allowing for more preschools to open in rural areas and villages.

3. Education resources to students and families

Early childhood education institutions do not charge tuition fees, but families pay regulated monthly contributions for learning materials, stationery, nutrition and cleaning services. Various financial incentives are in place for socio-economically disadvantaged families.

Conditional Education Assistance is provided to families through the cooperation of the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of National Education in order to ensure school attendance of children from disadvantaged families and to reduce the financial burden on families. Disadvantaged families whose children attend pre-school education also benefit from this assistance. In addition, in order to reduce costs for families, all printed and digital pre-primary education materials for children and families are provided free of charge.

The government’s Private School Subsidisation Programme (2014) subsidises the fees or parental contributions required by private schools to enable some students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access these institutions. In 2016, this policy was extended to include children between the ages of 4 and 6 attending private early childhood education settings. The subsidies provided amount to approximately 20% of the full cost and are accessible based on a needs assessment which takes into account family income level, the number of children in the family, disability status and parents’ marital status.

4. Social policies and family support programmes

To ensure equal opportunity for disadvantaged children, private nurseries and day-care centres are required to reserve 3% of their capacity as free-of-charge places for children identified by the Provincial Directorates of the Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS). Eligible beneficiaries include, unconditionally, children of martyrs and veterans, children under institutional care of MoFSS, and children residing with their incarcerated mothers; as well as, subject to socioeconomic criteria, children from economically disadvantaged families, orphaned children, children living with a single parent, children with a disabled parent, and children of women currently residing in or having left women's shelters.

The Parent-Child Support Programme encompasses two complementary initiatives — the Child Support Education Programme and the Parent Support Education Programme — which constitute Turkey's first official early intervention programs targeting both children and their families. Designed primarily for children aged 3–6 who cannot access formal pre-primary education due to overcrowding, poverty, or the absence of local schools, these programmes aim to strengthen parental engagement, support holistic child development across cognitive, social-emotional, physical, language, and self-care domains, and promote the effective use of school facilities outside regular hours.

This profile has been reviewed by the Ministry of National Education of Türkiye and Professor Ekber Tomul (Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi).

Dernière modification:

jeu 12/03/2026 - 13:32