Education inflation: Why school expenses have skyrocketed in 2024? 

As the 2024-2025 school year begins in Türkiye, families are facing rising education costs.
According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), annual inflation reached 51.9% in August, while education-related expenses saw a 120% increase.

Data from the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA) show that the cost of basic stationery for students rose by 71.9%, school clothing expenses increased by 62.5%, and the overall cost of starting school went up by 64.9%.

These figures reflect the growing financial demands associated with education. 

One in 5 schools private 

The Ministry of Education’s statistics indicate that there are 17.5 million students in formal education in Türkiye. Of the 75,019 educational institutions, 60,734 are public and 14,281 are private. For the first time, private schools now constitute 19% of all educational institutions in the country, indicating a notable shift in the education landscape. 

442,643 children not enrolled in school 

Although 17.5 million students are enrolled in Türkiye’s compulsory education system, 442,643 children are not part of it. While legal provisions exist to impose fines or imprisonment on parents who do not send their children to school, these measures are not frequently enforced. 

Third of high school students in open high schools 

The number of high school students has more than doubled over the past 22 years, increasing from 3,023,602 to 6,789,681. During this period, the number of students attending open high schools has more than quadrupled, rising from 464,935 to 2,009,480. Currently, one-third of all high school students in Türkiye are enrolled in open high schools. 

Between 850,000, 2 million child workers 

The labor force participation rate for children aged 15-17 rose from 16.2% in 2020 to 22.1% in 2023, according to TUIK.

Official figures report 853,000 child workers, while estimates suggest the actual number may exceed 2 million when undocumented cases are included.

The Health and Safety Labor Watch (ISIG) has recorded 695 child worker fatalities between 2013 and 2024. 

1.5 million children face food insecurity 

Türkiye ranks first among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in terms of child poverty.

Recent increases in poverty have affected children significantly, with one in five children in Türkiye experiencing severe poverty and struggling to access adequate nutrition. 

Education investment reduced from 17% to 9% 

Despite the increasing need for investment in education, the proportion of the national education budget allocated for investment has decreased.

In 2002, 17% of the Ministry of Education’s budget was directed toward investment, while by 2023, this figure had dropped to 9%. 

One in three students skips breakfast 

One-third of students in Türkiye attend school without eating breakfast. Around 60% of children do not have breakfast at least once a week, and 19.2% go without food at least one day per week because of financial difficulties.

Additionally, 2% of children do not eat dinner after school, and 1.9% experience daily hunger. 

Local government initiatives for student nutrition

In response to these challenges, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has announced a plan to distribute 2 million food packages to elementary and middle school students during the 2024-2025 school year.

Experts suggest that providing one free healthy meal per day in schools could be an essential measure to support students’ well-being, with increasing advocacy for this initiative under the #1FreeHealthyMeal campaign.