Private schools with exorbitant price hikes face closure penalty

Türkiye’s National Education Minister Yusuf Tekin publicly warned private schools implementing exorbitant fee increases, stating that such institutions could face closure penalties.

“The penalties are clear. We will not hesitate to shut them down if necessary,” Tekin said on Saturday. While emphasizing that investigations are ongoing, he provided the following details regarding the probe:

• More than 700 investigations have been launched.
• A total of 12,000 private schools have been examined.
• Price irregularities have been detected in 22 schools.

‘Third warning leads to closure’

Tekin noted that these 22 schools had implemented “noticeably high” price increases and warned that if the issue persists, they could face closure.

He also stated that schools following such pricing policies had already received two warnings. “If there is a third warning, the penalty could lead to closure,” he said. “This approach by these 22 schools is concerning for other institutions. However, many private schools are open to cooperating with us. If both parents and private schools collaborate with us and report such unlawful practices, we will take the necessary action.”

On Jan. 20, the National Education Ministry launched an investigation into private schools following numerous complaints from parents about exorbitant fee hikes.