Keywords

Globalization and the Background of Education Policies in Türkiye

Education policies have traditionally been produced within the authority of nation states, but the phenomenon of globalization has posed some challenges to policy-making based solely on the nation state. When countries realized in the 1980s that their own education systems were unable to respond to the global economic, technological, and social transformations, global education reforms came to the fore. Initially, difficulties were experienced when comparing the quality of existing education systems, as global data was insufficient and unreliable, so the motivation to reform education systems came primarily from national studies and research projects (Sahlberg, 2016). The foundations of today’s policies can be traced back nearly three decades to the educational reforms introduced in the United States, Chile, and the United Kingdom. Education reform movements have generally been driven by standardization, narrowing curricula to focus on core subjects, knowledge, accountability, and institutional management practices (Fuller & Stevenson, 2019). These basic assumptions of education reforms, supported by international development organizations, consultants, philanthropists, and private organizations interested in education policy, soon became influential in shaping education systems in other countries (Sahlberg, 2016). Thus, globalization has resulted in the policy influence of some international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with policy options for nation states having naturally been shaped by the constraints of these actors (Al’Abri, 2011).

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which set the framework for countries’ education policies, currently aim to increase the quality of education by 2030. The global goals cover a wide range of issues such as ensuring access to quality vocational and technical education and higher education, increasing the number of young people and adults with other skills including technical and vocational skills for entrepreneurship, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, world citizenship, cultural diversity, international cooperation, and a supply of qualified teachers. On the other hand, these global policies have been extended to the least developed and developing countries by providing scholarships for enrollment in higher education, including various programs (vocational education, information and communication technologies, technical, engineering, and scientific programs) in other countries (UN, 2022). In the Turkish education system, global policies are constantly on the agenda regarding how to measure and improve the quality of education in the context of students, educators, and educational institutions, and planning studies in this context continues (Göksoy, 2020). As a matter of fact, Türkiye has followed a process in line with global policies, using the important steps it has taken to improve the quality of education since the 2000s and supporting the process with higher policies. In the successful continuation of the country’s economic and social development, emphasis has been placed on the strength of human resources, innovation, technological infrastructure, and international cooperation. The fact that the 2019–2023 Strategic Plan presents a perspective on economic, social, and cyclical developments both in the world and in the country is a concrete indicator of this (Presidency of Strategy and Budget [SBB], 2021).

In the 1980s when global influences were more palpable in every field, Türkiye’s 5th Development Plan (1985–1989) included issues that were both on the national and international agenda, such as technical education, qualified workforce, the content of education programs, and the expansion of private schools (Akça et al., 2017). In this context, various studies that have been carried out so far in the Turkish education system such as updating curricula, twenty-first-century teacher and student profile studies, the FATIH Project,Footnote 1 Turkish Qualifications Framework (TQF), and 2023 Education Vision Document were implemented as a reflection of the global education paradigm (Hamarat, 2019). Various improvements and developments in the education system were attempted in order to find solutions to existing problems, but international evaluations of these activities weren’t first put forward until 2003 in the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies. The 2003 PISA results provided important clues for the measures to be taken in terms of the deficiencies and weaknesses of the education system. Subsequently in the 2005–2006 academic year, the curricula for grades 1–5 were revised, and a cognitive and constructivist approach was adopted from the behaviorist approach of the existing curriculum (Çelen et al., 2011). Another important change was the transition from eight years of uninterrupted basic education to 12 years of compulsory education with 4 + 4 + 4 in the 2012–2013 academic year. These changes aimed to increase the length of education of the society and to provide the guidance required by individuals’ interests, needs, and abilities (Başdemir, 2012). Some of the first practices that can be shown related to the reflections of the globalization process on education are the SOKRATES and COMENIUS programs within the scope of the European Union Education and Youth Programs. These programs generally aimed to increase international cooperation among schools, language learning, and cultural exchanges in order to facilitate harmonization with the European Union. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP), a two-year preparatory program for higher education, was first introduced in some schools and spread from private to public in line with the increasing demand for this globally reliable and respected program (Sever et al., 2018). Subsequently within the framework of the 11th Development Plan and the 2023 Education Vision, global concepts such as equal opportunity, gender equality, lifelong learning, and human resources were taken into account, and efforts were made to expand access to education through activities to increase participation in education levels before and after basic education. Access to early childhood education (ECE) and pre-primary education one year before primary school has been the focus of this policy for most of the last decade, with a number of measures taken in recent years (OECD, 2022a).

The new education paradigm changing with globalization emphasizes the change in professions and that change requires new skills (Hamarat, 2019). The global economic crisis in the world in the early 2000s directed the attention of the EU to vocational education, especially in solving the employment problem. In Türkiye, various projects were carried out in these years in order to modernize vocational education and harmonize it with EU countries (Günay & Özer, 2016). Until the 2000s, however, studies on vocational education were generally focused on the training of qualified manpower and the expansion of educational institutions and were insufficient to meet the needs of labor markets (Ekşioğlu & Taşpınar, 2019). As a matter of fact, government policies in Türkiye were seen to take into account global trends within the framework of the country’s needs, such as training qualified manpower; developing educational environments, human resources, and curricula; and ensuring the relationship among education, employment, and production in the high goals set forth in vocational and technical education (VET) through the 2023 Education Vision (Ministry of National Education [MEB], 2018).

Different expectations from education clearly exist in the face of rapid technological developments in the world today, so quality education is a current issue that needs to be constantly considered within the framework of technological changes. In many countries, the role and function of schools are changing, and teachers’ current roles are being affected by these changes. Traditional classroom environments are evolving into multicultural classrooms where information and communication technologies are used more effectively, students with special learning needs are integrated into these classrooms, planning is done with accountability, and so on. In response, education systems now provide a variety of in-service training opportunities for teachers to improve their professional competencies and thereby maintain and improve the quality of higher education (OECD, 2009). However, the staff in schools is an important resource for education systems, both educationally and financially, and human resource policies in schools need to be rethought. The OECD examined the policy environments that support professional development in participating countries through the “Professional Development of Teachers” study.Footnote 2 In this framework, countries’ strengths, challenges, and innovations have been explored in order to provide policy makers with rapid feedback and evidence and to facilitate peer learning (OECD, 2020). In other words, all countries’ efforts are limited in practice to the success of teachers and educational administrators and the extent of their competencies (MEB, 2018). Recognizing that improving the quality of education depends to a large extent on teachers’ professional development, one important step taken recently in this regard is the recognition of teaching as a career profession through the Professional Development Law enacted in 2022.

This chapter evaluates VET and teachers’ professional development within the scope of globalization policies, access to education, VET and human resource development policies, and the prominent activities in Türkiye in recent years in the fields of ECE. However, the article does not explain why these policies were constructed and placed on global agendas, instead drawing attention to the transfer of these policies within and between countries through the case of Türkiye and presenting the current education reforms in the country in this context.

Access to Education Policies: Early Childhood Education

The diversity and increase in social problems as a result of globalization has made nations’ ability to survive harder, and the solution to somehow cope with global threats has been to reduce the provision of education to earlier ages (Moss, 2015). Indeed, based on the fact that early childhood education and care (ECEC) plays an important role in children's cognitive and emotional development, learning and lifelong well-being (MEB, 2018; OECD, 2022a), ECEC has started to occupy an important place on the global policy agenda. In the context of equal opportunities, though, ECEC policies also emphasize the creation of opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged children to develop their cognitive and emotional skills (OECD, 2022a). ECEC policies intersect with social policies (e.g., poverty eradication), immigration policies (e.g., managing ethnic diversity), and other education policies (e.g., closing the education gap), including economic policies (Vandenbroeck et al., 2010). To remain in the race for global employment and economic advantage in the twenty-first century, countries today focus on equipping each individual from the very beginning of life with the basic skills to realize their potential (Moss, 2015).

Research on ECE and child development has demonstrated the critical importance of quality early learning environments (OECD, 2022a). According to experts, children acquire a variety of linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional skills during ECE that regulate many functions of later life domains (Bakken et al., 2017). However, the likelihood of children receiving an education before starting formal schooling has been found to be low across the globe, such that socioeconomic gaps in human capital occur before children even start formal schooling. Furthermore, access to ECE is considered a key challenge not limited to low-income countries, and interest is found in having global policies expand formal learning, starting with preschool-aged children (Cascio, 2021). The social and economic context of ECE gave impetus to policies in this framework in the last half of the twentieth century. Thus, ECE has become a topic on the agenda of nations, international organizations, political classes, and policy experts (Moss, 2015). The international organizations leading the production and dissemination of these policies are the World Bank, OECD, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) plays an important role in policy support efforts by providing on-the-ground contributions. Non-governmental organizations (e.g., Save the Children) are also involved in ECEC activities (Mahon, 2016). In Türkiye, similar activities are carried out by the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV).

As the 4th Sustainable Development Goal, ECEC emphasizes the importance of having national and international policies “ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preschool education so that they are ready for primary education” (UN, 2022). This goal calls on the world to provide “inclusive and equitable quality education” and aims to meet children’s health, nutrition, protection, and education needs, especially for children with disabilities, and to provide inclusive, accessible, and integrated programs, services, and quality infrastructure for early childhood (UNESCO, 2022). The indicator of the sustainability goal of “ensuring early access to quality early childhood development, care, and education” measures the percentage of children enrolled in organized learning participation (i.e., ECE or primary education) one year before the official starting age of primary school. According to the OECD (2022a) report, children’s participation in ECE in the year before primary education is above 90% in most OECD countries. However, significant differences were noted to occur between countries. For example, this value ranges from around 80% in Australia and Türkiye to 100% in Colombia, France, Ireland, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (OECD, 2022b).

In Türkiye, ECE has been a topic emphasized in top policy documents (e.g., national development plans, education policy documents, and strategic plans) since the 1990s. In the 2000s, the goal of “providing at least one year of early childhood education” for every student was set, but no significant progress was made in ensuring access to ECE until the 2010s (Suna & Özer, 2022). In Türkiye, ECE has been supported by some changes in the general education system (e.g., extending the duration of compulsory education, providing and improving educational infrastructure), and a significant increase in access to ECE has been observed since the 2013–2014 academic year apart from the COVID-19 period (MEB, 2022). In line with the targets set in the 2023 Education Vision, MEB prioritized ECE among its policies for 2021–2022. Subsequently, MEB’s many project- and program-related efforts resulted in a significant increase in access to ECE in the 2021–2022 academic year (Education Reform Initiative [ERG], 2022). The most prominent efforts to increase access to ECE in Türkiye have been the regulation of the criteria for opening kindergartens, the opening of new kindergartens and preschools, and new teacher appointments (Turkish Education Association [TEDMEM], 2022). In 2021, MEB launched a nationwide campaign with the slogan “at least one year of early childhood education for every student” to draw public attention to ECE. As part of its goals to reach the OECD average regarding ECE, it completed the physical infrastructure gaps and increased the number of kindergartens in 2022, exceeding expectations in schooling rates for children aged 3–5 years. Thus, the ECE policy campaign MEB launched in 2021 has been successful in achieving the goal of access to education by age 5. MEB’s target for 2023 is to increase the enrollment rates of 3- to 5-year-olds by providing the necessary infrastructure support and to reach 100% in the 5-year-old age group (Özer & Suna, 2022).

Some statistical data confirm that Türkiye in recent years has set a vision in line with OECD countries in terms of educational access from basic education to ECE and has pursued active policies in this regard. Accordingly, at least 90% of the population in 2020 had participated in education by the age of 6, which is the minimum age for compulsory education in Türkiye. Another important indicator is that the share of children aged 3–5 enrolled in ECE in Türkiye had increased by 29% between 2005 and 2020, substantially approaching the 2030 national targets (OECD, 2022b).

Vocational and Technical Education Policies

As a result of globalization, economies operate in a global marketplace and have become highly interdependent. Therefore, economic units need to move out of their current state and achieve standards that will enable them to succeed in global environments. However, rapid global change challenges organizations that provide production and services regarding decisions and practices in management, employment, and business processes (Hobart, 1999). Being seen as an important pillar of the economy in this context, education has been associated with the factors of economic growth, innovation, sustainable employability, and social cohesion. The world has linked one of the conditions for being more successful in global economic competition to advanced and effective vocational education systems, and the EU’s competitiveness policies have built on this by pointing out that VET will lead to greater productivity and innovation. Attention has been drawn to how continuous improvement of vocational education and training facilitated vocational integration and reintegration into the labor market, thus ensuring adaptation to industrial changes (EU, 2010). Following these developments, MEB has identified increasing access to VET as a policy priority in Türkiye in recent years (Özer, 2018). With the 2023 Education Vision, MEB has taken the necessary steps to improve education in line with global policies and promoted VET through systematic and multifaceted improvements (Özer, 2021).

These days, rapid advances in technology and transformations in labor markets place different expectations on education for the employment of skilled workers. Education systems have an exponential mission to train individuals equipped with different skills, such as the ability to generate solutions to defined or emerging problems and design thinking using technology for occupations that have not yet emerged in the workforce (Lehner & Wurzenberger, 2013). Indeed, the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) estimated that 70% of the new value created in the economy over the next decade will be based on digitally enabled business models, and 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years (WEF, 2023). In the 11th Development Plan, Türkiye is preparing for global transformations with its policies that support meeting the need for the skilled manpower sectors demand in its goals of strengthening the link between VET and labor markets. In this context, the Workplace Vocational Training and Development Program (İŞMEP, 2018–2025), initiated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Türkiye, continues to acquire and develop vocational skills on the job, close skill gaps, and contribute to meeting employers’ need for a qualified labor force. Türkiye has also set important targets for updating vocational education programs in line with sectoral demands and technological developments, supporting students’ innovative initiatives, and updating and increasing the number of national occupational standards and qualifications (SBB, 2019).

Policy makers initially viewed VET as a solution to the problematic transitions to the world of work due to rising youth unemployment and school drop-outs, but VET has been criticized for not being compatible with the new technological content and flexibility of the world of work. Although different practices occur regarding vocational education around the world, some studies have shown that the conversion to social benefit is highest when vocational education is designed as a dual system combining school and work (Forster et al., 2016). On the other hand, designing vocational education programs purely from the perspective of labor markets assumes that graduates will ideally demonstrate high productivity rates throughout their working lives. But when taking the overall outcomes of education into account, vocational education is expected to have a broader function than simply supporting the labor market. For example, a law was enacted in the Netherlands to recognize the importance of both the theoretical and practical outcomes of a quality education for professions. Accordingly, vocational education should not conflict with general education, which contributes to the personal and social development of students. Instead, they should each be an extension of the other (Coenen et al., 2015). Although contemporary vocational education is evaluated according to global criteria, it is seen to be designed primarily to respond to the needs of the country, and Türkiye carries out its initiatives on vocational education with a parallel approach focused on the country’s problems within the framework of globalization (OECD, 2022c). In this context, the attempt is being made to organize and develop vocational education in Türkiye in a way that will meet the needs of labor markets. In the vocational education provided by vocational and technical high schools, two different programs (i.e., vocational and technical) are implemented. While the technical program is academic and theoretically oriented, the vocational program offers a more profession-specific and applied education. The academic-oriented program aims to increase the quality of manpower by ensuring that graduates continue to higher education. The priority of the vocational program is to meet the needs of the labor market for qualified technical staff. In Türkiye, graduates of both programs have the title of technician, the authority to open a workplace, and the EUROPASS certificate; they can also attend a higher education program. Vocational training centers operating outside formal education provide traditional apprenticeship, journeyman, and mastership training. Graduates of these trainings have gained applied vocational knowledge in workplaces rather than theoretical knowledge (Özer, 2018, 2020).

In the face of global changes, how to ensure the continuity of the competencies initially acquired through vocational education is currently seen as one of the main problems. Vocational education is beneficial at the beginning of a career, but can be disadvantageous later in a career (Hanushek et al., 2017). In other words, individuals are not able to transform the vocational skills they acquire early in life to adapt to changing environmental conditions in later life or to be flexible (Forster et al., 2016).

Another controversial issue is the wage differences between vocational and academic employment. Although vocational education graduates initially have an advantage in terms of employment, the wage advantage in the early stages of their careers is observed to decrease over time and turn in favor of academic education graduates (Özer, 2020). To summarize, common problems have been identified around the world within the framework of vocational education; however, these problems are felt less in countries such as Finland and New Zealand, which construct vocational education as part of the general education system, while felt more in countries such as Germany, which constructs it with an employment approach. In this respect, Germany’s dual model forms an important pillar of the political economic debate on vocational skills development. The model has supported the training of skilled workers from its inception with strategies to develop a wealth of quality output and represents one of the most important areas of corporatist governance (Baethge & Wolter, 2015). The main problems of vocational education in Türkiye have been identified as absenteeism, low academic achievement, grade repetition, and dropping out of school, which are found to be similar to many other countries around the world (OECD, 2022c). Subsequently, MEB conducted interviews with the business world, sector representatives, vocational education institution managers, field teachers, and students and benefited from international reports and research in order to examine the issue in more depth and to develop solutions (Özer, 2020). MEB started its efforts to improve the country’s vocational education by first reviewing its collaborations with sector representatives. The scope of the collaborations was expanded to include joint planning of curricula and practical training of students in enterprises, teacher training with the support of sector representatives, scholarships for successful students, and prioritizing employment (Özer, 2022). In addition to improving the infrastructure of vocational education, MEB’s efforts to improve access to vocational education have focused on changes in the delivery of vocational education to facilitate access, particularly for the most disadvantaged. Data on the significant improvements in vocational education in Türkiye in recent years is also noteworthy, with around 36% of 17-year-olds being enrolled in vocational education in 2020, which is above the OECD average of 31% (OECD, 2022b).

According to the results of international exams, achievement gaps are a problem that all countries face to varying degrees and are discussed within the framework of egalitarian education policies. In 2020, MEB launched the 1000 Schools in Vocational Education Project with the slogan “The Future is in Vocational Education” in order to expand the developments in vocational education to all vocational schools and reduce the achievement gaps between schools. This project aimed to focus on schools with low academic achievement and to make improvements in each area, including students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the school environment (Özer, 2021). As a result of MEB’s initiatives and determined efforts, the social perception of vocational education has changed positively, and successful students’ interest in vocational education has increased. In 2022, MEB moved the importance it attaches to vocational education to an international dimension by establishing international vocational high schools. As of 2023, these high schools started to provide education to students from Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Özer & Suna, 2022).

Human Resource Development Policies: Professional Development of Teacher

Arrangements for the definition and duties of school staff are considered within human resources policies in the context of careers, staff distribution, and professional learning. OECD reviews have identified a number of common challenges in participating countries regarding the design and implementation of human resource policies. Traditional professional development systems are said to support the continuous development of those who learn in schools, but these are often insufficient, as highlighted by a 2018 survey of OECD countries. Accordingly, 94% of teachers reported having participated in professional development in the past year, but only 82% felt that it had improved their teaching (OECD, 2019).

Knowledge, intelligence, know-how, and innovation form the backbone of human resources and are currently of particular importance for competitive societies focused on new technologies and production processes. Therefore, ensuring the innovative development of the state economy requires the training of an innovative workforce and, accordingly, the support of professional development with the ability to work creatively (Yaroshenko et al., 2020). Recognizing the fundamental role of education in the innovative perspective, global policies call for teachers’ professional development. Because professional development is also considered a lifelong learning process, opportunities and incentives for teachers’ professional development are expected to be created even after they have completed their initial professional training. In this way, the knowledge built on initial professional training will be updated throughout the career, and students’ learning will be supported from an innovative perspective (OECD, 2017).

Due to education in the globalized world being evaluated by international exam results, quality education is considered to be an outcome of teachers’ professional development. Therefore, one of the main topics of educational debates currently is how teachers can acquire the professional skills that can help them make changes in teaching. Across the world, professional teacher development activities range from seminars, conferences, workshops, and distance learning to professional support such as mentoring and supervision (Martin et al., 2017). These intensive activities related to professional development essentially serve to make teaching a respected career choice just like other popular professions with a longer education process (Sahlberg, 2013). Different country examples are found regarding the relationship between the way professional development activities are offered and the achievement outcomes that are acquired. For example, although Finland has no systematic activities for professional development, teachers’ ethical values and motivational attitudes have been important factors in their career planning that have also translated into high achievement outcomes (Akyol et al., 2020). In Japan as another country that stands out with its success in education, systematic and continuous in-service trainings are offered to teachers, and universities contribute to in-service trainings through postgraduate education institutions (Abazoğlu, 2014; Akyol et al., 2020). In Türkiye, professional development activities for teachers are generally carried out centrally by MEB. In this context, planned in-service training activities are provided with the contributions of central and provincial organizations and universities, as well as from various institutions, associations, and non-governmental organizations (Demir & Demir, 2021). In reference to the importance of professional development, teachers are understood to be the objects of quality education policies, and in this context, teaching is recognized as the agent of the change policymakers desire (Wixson & Valencia, 2011).

The idea that professional development can support improvements in teaching is now widely accepted, and professional development occupies an important place in the education policy of almost every country. Teachers with quality professional development are assumed to be able to provide superior teaching that will translate into high-achievement outcomes; in other words, they will increase the capacity to improve student outcomes (Hochberg & Desimone, 2010). Despite this widespread view of the importance of professional development, little consensus is found on what should be done within this framework, how teachers should be incentivized, or what kinds of changes are expected (Kennedy, 2016). Significant structural problems have also been associated with the phenomenon of professional development in teaching. These include the way training is delivered, its duration, and the collaboration that takes place (Garet et al., 2001). Similarly, various criticisms have been made about in-service trainings offered to teachers in Türkiye. The main issues that have come to the fore in these criticisms are the compulsory nature of in-service trainings, the fact that centrally determined topics do not respond to local educational needs, budget constraints, the lack of sufficient support from higher education institutions, the general negative perception of in-service trainings, apathy and reluctance, and the positioning of teachers as passive practitioners in the education system (Bümen et al., 2012).

A review of research on professional development in teaching reveals that teachers’ expectations from professional development are grouped under several main themes (Matherson & Windle, 2017). Accordingly, teachers want professional development-learning opportunities that are interactive, engaging, and relevant to their students; that show them a more practical way of delivering content; and that are teacher-driven and sustained over time. However, since 2020, digitally supported distance learning and online learning environments have increased exponentially compared to previous years, significantly changing the traditional view of education delivery. Effective teacher professional development and learning delivered online have clearly become an integral part of the global education landscape (Bragg et al., 2021). Subsequently, MEB introduced a new approach to teacher professional development in 2021. This approach has had two important benefits for the Turkish education system. The first is the empowerment of school administrations by providing schools with budgets to meet teachers’ training needs. The other is that teachers’ views are taken into account when determining and enriching the content of in-service trainings. In this way, the aim is both to increase physical participation in in-service trainings, for which significant budgets have been allocated, and to create the infrastructure of a Teacher Information Network with the developed materials. Another important development for the teaching profession in Türkiye is that professional development was made an independent law in 2022. This law sets out career paths in teaching and the conditions for professional development. According to the law, experienced teachers will be able to receive the titles of expert teacher and head teacher after successfully completing training programs. However, while teachers’ rights in Türkiye have been significantly improved, the OECD’s statement of “limited improvement in personal rights from the beginning to retirement” has also been exceeded (Özer & Suna, 2022).

Conclusion and Evaluation

While globalization was initially a phenomenon limited to the economy, it soon affected all social spheres and has currently become even more palpable with the rapid developments in technology. Globalization has emerged as a broader concept different from previous social eras such as the nuclear age, industrial society, or postmodernity. Indeed, this process has forced nation states to conform to certain standards and education to be constantly on the agenda as an issue at the center of transformation.

Globalization has multifaceted and multidimensional effects on education policies. Under globalization, international interaction has strengthened, and nations have had to rethink how to set educational agendas and make policies. In this regard, thinking about whether domestic dynamics or international political transfers shape the educational reforms of nations may be necessary. In fact, globalization has confronted nations with the question of how to be better than other nations. However, global developments are forcing nation states to create a sustainable competitive economy, and global policies are currently making their impact felt in every field. As a matter of fact, nations that do not want to fall behind in global competition do not consider their education policies independently from their economic policies. In other words, education has become a critical tool for nations to position themselves in the global economy.

The development of human resources, lifelong learning, equal opportunities, and gender equality are at the heart of global policies’ building of stronger economies. In these contexts, every society has experienced the phenomenon of globalization to different extents, but the world is becoming ever more innovative, and nations will face different challenges. Nations have recognized that the secret to success in coping with change lies in improvements at the most fundamental level: education systems. Education systems are being redesigned from their traditional approaches to focus on the skills required by the age, and in this context, access to education, vocational training, and professional development are gaining importance.

Türkiye has experienced the effects of globalization in parallel with other countries and taken global goals into account in its educational policies in order to improve its education system. However, although many transformations have taken place in the Turkish education system over the years, recent activities have been carried out from a more holistic perspective. Data reveal that significant progress has been made in increasing access to education for students of all ages since the early 2000s. In an innovative world, the aim is to ensure access to education at an early age so that each person’s potential can be discovered at the earliest possible stage. Through its investments in ECE, MEB has sought to address the global challenges of equal opportunity and gender equality, while at the same time aiming to increase the length of time a person remains in education.

When addressing education, the first thing that usually comes to mind is that it is primarily academic, but as global conditions change, the value of vocational education is becoming increasingly recognized. The world’s new labor markets focus on vocational and technical skills, and the need for workers with quality vocational education is increasing. Türkiye has a long history of vocational education, yet for many years vocational education has not received the same recognition there as it has in the rest of the world. Vocational education has often been a gateway for those who have not succeeded in academic education or who want to shorten the education process and enter life. Once the world realized that the theoretical knowledge that comes with academic education alone is insufficient in business life, vocational education began being reemphasized. Türkiye has taken the successful models of vocational education, which combine both academic and vocational knowledge, as an example and improved its cooperation with labor markets. Efforts to strengthen vocational education in Türkiye will be highly beneficial in achieving sustainable and inclusive goals.

In research, quality in education is often associated with quality schools that are often characterized by exam success and international education programs. However, the success of a country’s education system is an indicator of the extent to which global educational goals are being met in international exams. In this respect, the professional development of teachers is seen to improve in successful education systems around the world through quality in-service trainings, with the teacher being positioned at the center of a quality education. In this regard, the fact that the teaching profession has a law in Türkiye is both an example in terms of career development and an important step in terms of increasing quality. In fact, education, which has become a focus in order to be successful economically, will only have as high a quality as the competencies of its teachers. In this respect, the importance given to professional development in teaching should be maintained.

In reality, all education policies are based on the assumption that students within an organized education system will acquire the necessary competencies to be successful in their future personal and professional lives. All the goals set by education policies are primarily an effort to prepare young people for the world of the future through education. On the other hand, quality education is believed to form the basis of the strong economies of the future. In this context, this study recommends that developing nations closely monitor global goals and be consistent in their determined policies, both now and in the future.