3.5 Million Children in Türkiye Deprived of Education

Data for the 2025–2026 academic year has revealed striking figures about the situation of children and young people within Türkiye’s education system. According to the data, the number of children and young people who are not receiving regular, in-person education is approaching 3.5 million. This figure is based on a calculation that includes both those who are not registered at educational institutions and those enrolled in alternative education pathways.

According to the latest statistics released by Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education, approximately 1.934 million children are not registered at any educational institution. When students enrolled in the open education system and vocational training centers are included, the figure rises to approximately 3,478,325 children. These figures come at a time when data from the Ministry of National Education shows a clear difference in enrollment rates between educational stages, with lower rates recorded at the secondary school level compared with primary and middle school.

According to the latest data from Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education for the 2025–2026 academic year, the enrollment rate for children aged 6 to 9 in primary education stood at 98.46%. At the middle school level, the enrollment rate for the 10-to-13 age group was 98.16%. For the 14-to-17 age group, the enrollment rate at the secondary school level fell further to 87.09%. These figures indicate a clear gap in enrollment rates between different stages of education, with the gap becoming wider at the secondary school level. This trend is consistent with figures concerning students who are outside regular daily schooling. Being outside the regular school system may be due to non-registration at an educational institution or a transition to other educational pathways.

The educational landscape is not limited to students enrolled in regular schools, as ministry data shows that a large number of students are part of the open education system. According to official data, the number of students enrolled in open education institutions reached 1,051,493 during the 2025–2026 academic year. Open education differs from regular daily schooling, allowing students to continue their education through an alternative system rather than attending school on a regular basis.

This category constitutes a significant portion of the overall figure being reported for children and young people outside regular education. In addition to open education, Türkiye’s education system also includes vocational training centers, which provide students with a pathway combining education and vocational training. Available data shows that approximately 492,227 students were enrolled in vocational training centers during the 2025–2026 academic year.

At the secondary school level, the official enrollment rate for the 14-to-17 age group is 87.09%. By comparison, the rate is 98.46% at the primary level and 98.16% at the middle school level. This means that a portion of the secondary-school-age population does not appear in regular school education in the same way as students in the younger age groups.

The data highlights the changes in students’ educational pathways as they grow older, as well as the role played by open education and vocational training alongside regular schools. Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education provides detailed annual data on student numbers, enrollment rates, types of educational institutions, and the number of students registered across different educational pathways. The 2025–2026 academic year data is part of the official statistics providing an overview of Türkiye’s education system and the scale of participation across its various pathways. The figures come at a time when secondary education has emerged as the stage with the lowest enrollment rate among the country’s three main levels of education.