Free prep schools launched for students

As part of the Turkish government's overhaul of the education system, prep schools free of charge opened yesterday.

The reopening came after the Parliament approved the shutdown or conversion of paid prep schools that offer extra classes for grade school and high school students preparing for university and high school exams.

Through the prep schools, officials aim to boost university and high school admission rates by enabling students to study properly. Prep classrooms will be available at all schools and if schools cannot accommodate all students, students will be directed to nearby schools with available capacity.

Prep schools will offer at least 36 hours of lessons on subjects already taught at public schools per academic term and will be open throughout the year. Up to 25 students will be accommodated in every classroom to enhance the quality of education.

They will be similar to private prep schools in terms of holding monthly exams to assess the progress of students, but they will not be solely focused on tests, according to National Education Ministry officials. Instead, they will concentrate on subjects students sought to learn more about in order to correctly answer university exam questions on each subject. Subjects offered in prep school classes will be determined in line with the demand of students.