Over the past 20 years, Türkiye has undergone a major transformation across many fields. In this context, the most significant investment has undoubtedly been in education and youth. While many of the countries we compete with had already brought the vast majority of their school-age population into primary and secondary education by making human capital a central focus, and were simultaneously pursuing massification processes to expand capacity in higher education, Türkiye’s record in this area in the early 2000s was quite weak. Enrollment rates at the secondary education level were below 50%. In other words, in the early 2000s, half of the population of high-school age was outside the education system. In higher education, enrollment rates were around 10%, meaning the system was unable to meet the demand of the young population for access to higher education. Moreover, through anti-democratic practices such as the coefficient policy and headscarf bans, continuous barriers were erected to prevent the children of this country from accessing education.
In this context, over the past 20 years, a massive mobilization has been carried out in education, as in many other fields. A closer look at this process clearly shows that it was a three-dimensional mobilization. First, there was an infrastructure mobilization aimed at increasing physical capacity to ensure students’ access to education. Within a short period, the number of classrooms at the primary and secondary education levels increased from approximately 300,000 to over 800,000. These investments were rapidly completed across all provinces and districts, without any regional discrimination. Second, there were democratization steps that made the education system more responsive to societal demands. In this regard, after long struggles, the headscarf bans were abolished. In addition, students who wished to do so were given the opportunity to take elective courses to learn the Quran, the life of the Prophet Muhammad and religious knowledge.
Third, a wide range of social policies were implemented to support equality of opportunity while expanding access to education. In this context, numerous measures, from the free distribution of textbooks to transportation services for students, from free meals to housing and scholarships, have been successfully implemented and continue to be applied today. This large-scale, three-dimensional mobilization quickly yielded results: enrollment rates in secondary education rose above 99%, while enrollment in higher education exceeded 50%. Today, there is no longer an access problem in education in Türkiye. At this stage, the new agenda is the continuous improvement of quality and the reduction of achievement gaps between schools.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has been the main pillar supporting the higher education stage of this process. In 2002, it provided services in 77 provinces and 59 districts through 190 dormitories with a total capacity of only 182,000 beds. In line with the expansion of higher education, it has since achieved a very significant increase in capacity. Today, across 81 provinces, 271 districts, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a total of 880 dormitories offer a capacity of 1,003,259 beds. There is no higher education system in the world with student housing capacity on this scale. In the 2025-2026 period, the ministry successfully placed 97% of applying students in dormitories. Moreover, students residing in these dormitories are provided with free meals twice a day, in the morning and evening. In addition, monthly scholarships are granted at the level of TL 4,000 ($91.50) for undergraduate students, TL 8,000 for master’s students and TL 12,000 for doctoral students. Beyond accommodation and meals, the ministry also supports the multidimensional development of young people by organizing sports activities, concerts, thematic camps, talks, training programs and workshops in the dormitories.
The dormitories of the Ministry of Youth and Sports are not left unused during the summer months. Instead, they are made available for young people who wish to benefit from them. Through the “Travel Enthusiast Project,” the ministry opens dormitories to young people free of charge during the summer and, within this framework, allocates one female and one male dormitory in each province to the project for the summer period. Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 who wish to benefit from the project can make a reservation and stay free of charge for up to five days in dormitories in the province of their choice. Between 2022 and 2025, a total of 518,769 young people benefited from this project.
On the other hand, while there were only nine youth centers and five camps in 2002, capacity in this area has also been significantly expanded. Today, 559 youth centers and 43 youth camps across the country provide services to millions of young people. In these centers, young people have the opportunity to develop themselves across a wide spectrum, from science and the arts to sports and technology, and benefit from all services free of charge. Accordingly, youth centers have evolved into spaces where young people come together, develop their skills and socialize. In addition, services are provided to young people at a total of 43 youth camps, including 11 coastal camps and 32 nature camps. Transportation, accommodation, and meal expenses for participants are also covered by the ministry. In 2025, the ministry hosted 253,328 young people at these camps and aims to host 1 million young people in youth camps by the end of 2028.
In addition, the ministry has launched the University Student Communities Cooperation and Support Program (ÜNIDES), which aims to strengthen interaction between youth offices and university student clubs/communities and to support activities that contribute to young people’s development. Within the scope of ÜNIDES, project topics are supported under 10 main categories, including science and technology; fine arts; sports and healthy living; personal and social development; cooperation programs; capacity building; accessibility projects; international initiatives; vocational development activities; and agriculture and agricultural technologies. Across five funding periods, a total of 4,444 projects received support amounting to TL 338,260,000, benefiting 1,155,304 university students.
In summary, over the past 20 years, Türkiye has carried out a large-scale and profound transformation in the fields of education and youth policies. Thanks to the mobilization implemented during this period, the most fundamental problem of the education system – access – has been resolved. Likewise, the capacity created in higher education in the areas of accommodation, scholarships and social support has provided strong and inclusive public backing, enabling young people to sustain their educational trajectories. Through youth centers, camps and programs extended across the summer months, youth policies have evolved into a continuous support framework that covers the entire year rather than being limited to specific periods. At the point reached today, Türkiye has been able to overcome long-standing disadvantages in young people’s access to education, housing, and social opportunities, and has built a vast infrastructure in these areas. Had these multi-dimensional and mutually reinforcing policies not been developed and implemented, it would not be possible today to speak of the “Century of Türkiye” vision. Naturally, there may be shortcomings and areas for further improvement. Nevertheless, achieving such a level of performance within a relatively short period of 20 years constitutes a success story and a source of pride in its own right.
