Turkish achievement in education, science and its plan to develop its industry and to enhance trade is astonishing and there is a lesson for Pakistan to follow its policies to develop prosper and to get economic independence. There is no province in Turkiye without an organized Industrial Zone(OIZ). The number of OIZs, which was 193 in 2002, has increased to 353 in 2021. The number of factories which was 14 in 2002 now with phenomenal growth is more than 67,000 today. The number of employees employed in these zones from 415,000 to 2,290,000. There are 89 high quality vocational schools in OIZs in order to meet the need for technical, well qualified and trained human resource for these OIZs. This helped to enhance employment ratio among youth who are considered as valuable assets for Turkiye.
Turkiye has also given high importance to small enterprises.
2002 2021
Number of SIS 362 489
The number of factories 83,000 96,000
The number of employees 499,000 700.000
Source: İstatistikler | T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı
Value addition and enhancement in productivity has also been given due importance and for this purpose focus has been given to establish Technical Development Zones (TDZ). There were only five Technology Development Zones (TDZs) in Turkiye twenty years before and this number has been grown to 96 by the end of 2021
The aims and objectives of the Technology Development Zones are:
Ø .Production of Technological Zones
Ø Commercialization of the knowledge produced
Ø Raising the Product quality and Standard in the product and production methods.
Ø Increasing efficiency and developments that will reduce production costs.
Ø Enhancing the adaptation of small and medium entreprises to new and advanced technologies.
Ø Providing job opportunities to reserachers
Ø Accelating the entry of foreign capital into the country that will make advanced technology investments.
Ø Increasing the competitiveness of the Induistry
2002 2021
Number of TDZs 5 96
Number of projects completed in TDZs 200 5.121
Number of companies 0 8.378
Number of Companies with Foreign Capital 0 351
Number of incubated Companies 0 2.085
Number of Companies with partnership with Academicians 0 1.767
Number of Employment 0 86.910
Total Sales (Billion USD) 0 15
Exports (Billion USD) 0 7,7
Licenced Intellectual Property 0 1.567
Ongoing applications for registry of licences 0 3.203
Source: 193878 (dergipark.org.tr)
Research and Development has also been given high importance and put it on top priorities by leadership and policy makers of Turkiye. There has been an incentive programme implemented in 2016. Following the policy implementation about 1, 241 Research and Development Centers has been established and in these centers 52,223 projects has been completed while 14,350 projects are in process, 31,768 patents has been registered, The Number of Companies with foreign capital in the project is 191.
Number of the R&D Centers 1.241
Number of the Projects developed in R&D Centers 52.223
Number of the ongoing Projects developed in R&D Centers 14.350
Number of Patents 31.768
Number of Companies with Foreign Capital 191
Source: İstatistikler | T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı
To implement incentive programme number of design centers have been established.
.Number of the Design Centers 317
Number of the Projects developed in Design Centers 11.888
Number of the ongoing Projects developed in R&D Centers 600
Number of Patents 600
Number of Companies with Foreign Capital 33
Source: İstatistikler | T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı
Quality Education is also on the top priority of the leadership of Turkiye and number of steps has been taken to enhance the standard and quality of its human capital. Huge investments have been made in all the regions of Turkiye, so that all children might get quality education, regardless of any province, district or region. The progress in this regard can be witness that in 2000s, five year old schooling rates were only eleven percent, which has now been increased to 95 percent. The primary school enrollment rate has reached 99.63 percent. It’s close to 100%. Its secondary school enrollment rate has reached 99.63% which is quite encouraging and there is a lesson for Pakistani policy makers to follow Turkiye’s example. Special attention has been given to increase literacy rate among girls and to provide them equal opportunities to get education and professional development. The schooling rate in girls which was only 39 % is now reached to 95 percent.
Development budget to promote education and infrastructure development has been increased phenomenally. New schools and class rooms have been built. In 2002 the number of class rooms in schools was 300,000, today it exceeded to 857,000. Qualified, dedicated and trained teachers are assets of the nation and Turkish leadership knows that without qualified and dedicated teachers, providing quality education to students would be merely a dream, Therefore much importance has been given to increase the quantity and quality of teachers. No of teachers increased from 500,000 to 1,200,000. In this regard huge investment has been made. Schools are equipped with state of the art technology, science and computer lab and other facilities. In order to fulfill the teaching profession efficiently, covering the general knowledge, skills and attitude that should be possessed ; general competencies for teaching profession, consisting of six main areas, thirty one sub competencies related to these competencies and 233 performance indicators, were determined into force of 2006. As a result of cooperation with many national and international institutes and organizations teachers strategy document has been prepared to employ highly qualified and suitable individuals as teachers, to sustain personal and professional development of teachers, to improve the perception of the teaching and strengthening the status of the profession and updating above mentioned competencies. Three competencies areas are related and complementary to each other namely professional knowledge, professional skills, attitudes and values. Eleven competencies and 65 indicators related to these competencies. Life time learning concepts has been applied to teachers and in job training programme has been enhanced. Career planning programme for teachers has also been started.
It has been assured while making and implementing policies that education is the right of each and every segment of society and there should be no discrimination. Therefore education is democratized. Inclusive and quality education for all is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). All artificially created barriers to their children’s access to education have been removed. Investments have been made to ensure that children with special education needs can access education at any point. Today more than 400,000 special education students are brought together with education in schools, in with education either in schools, in integration, in special education practice, vocational schools or in their homes. With these investments, a huge mobilization has taken place in order to increase the quality of human capital. According to the results of PISA tests the socioeconomic level of students is more effective on reading skills in Turkiye compared to OECD countries, in other words, equality in education in the field of reading skills in Turkiye is above the OECS average.
International monitoring studies in education allow countries to see their situation and compare it with that of other countries. In this context, the number of countries participating in international research such as PISA and TIMSS is increasing and countries uses its results as an instrument for improvements in education and policy making. According to PISA results, Turkiye has been one of the three countries that have statistically increased their score in all three areas among OECD countries. Turkiye’s average score in reading skills increased by 38 pints compared to 2015 and reached 466, and the average mathematics score increased by 34 points compared to 454. Similarly, the average score in the field of science literacy increased to 468, with an increase of 43 points compared to 2015. This shows greater improvement and policy makers of brother country Turkiye are praiseworthy.
2002 2022
1. Formal Education
Number of students 13.3 million 19 million
Number of teachers 510.000 1,148.000
Number of classrooms 350.000 794.454
Students per teacher 27 16,4
2. Preschool
Access to school for 5 years old 11% 93%
Number of Preschools 8.000 32.000
Number of Classrooms 128.000
Number of Teachers 12.000 107.171
Number of Students 227.000 1.885,004
Students per teacher >16,5, <27,4 16,5
3. Primary and Elementary
Number of Students 10,3 million 11.2 million
Access to school 90,9 % 99.6%
Number of classrooms 253.000 457.000
Number of Teachers 345.000 681.000
Students per teachers 30.4 16.2
4. High School
Access 44% 90%
Number of Students 2.4 million 6,5 million
Number of teachers 140.000 389.000
Number of schools 6,300 13,000
Number of |Classrooms 75.000 226.000
Students per teacher >15, <22 14,9
5. Other Indicators
Scholarship supported students 102,000 279,000
Board capacity 367,000 546,000
Free classroom books provided students
- 3 millions
6. Academic success indicators
PISA Maths 423 454
PISA Science 424 468
TIMSS 4th Grade Maths 469 523
TIMSS 4th Grade Science 463 526
TIMSS 8th Grade Maths 429 496
TIMSS 8th Grade Science 433 515
Higher Education
University degree/population 5,4% 23%
Number of Students* 1,65 Million 8,3 Million
Number of Universities 76 207
Number of lecturer/academics 70.000 183.000
Public boarding capacity number of beds 185.000 850.000
Access Rate %37 94%
There is much for Pakistan, its leadership and policy makers to learn from Turkiye’s example and without further delay, education, science and Technology must be given top most priority to get rid of debt and to get economic independence.