Schools to undergo reforms against sexism and noise

The National Education Ministry rolled out new guidelines for design standards for schools that will be built in the future. The criteria include everything from not choosing colors that can be considered sexist, such as pink or blue, and the distance that buildings must be from noisy areas, such as airports, railroads, highways and industrial zones. They will also be built far from roads with heavy traffic and in areas easily accessible by mass transit.

The guidelines aim to offer grade school students an environment more suitable to education. The drab appearance of schools reminiscent of old buildings of state agencies will be replaced with a more spacious environment. Instead of long, narrow hallways in the fashion of a hotel, schools will be more spacious and more exposed to sunlight. They will have indoor gardens as well.

Schools built in areas more exposed to cold weather will have a large indoor space for students to spend time during breaks.

Large elevators capable of accommodating stretchers in case of an emergency will also be installed in schools.

The guidelines also require that parking lots and businesses not be built near schools.

Turkey's education system has undergone a number of major changes in the past decade, including new exams, 12 years of compulsory education and a reduction in the number of crowded classrooms, which is an issue that has been plaguing the crumbling education system. With an increase in the number of schools in recent years, images of crammed classrooms disappeared, although underdeveloped regions in remote parts of Turkey still suffer from an insufficient number of teachers.