Crisis in the private sector: at least 3 thousand schools will close

With the start of the new academic year, parents struggling to pay private school fees are complaining about prices, while industry representatives complain about rising costs.

According to Eğitim İş research, the average annual cost of starting school increased by 126 percent, along with the huge increase in expenses for utilities, stationery, school uniforms and nutrition.

Interest in private schools has declined due to rising costs.

After the largest increase in private school enrollments in the 2023-2024 academic year (65 percent) was announced, a decrease in the number of students in private schools was observed in the new academic period.

Speaking to Sozcu.com.tr, President of the Private Education Association (ÖZDEBİR) Naci Atalay said that after the 65 percent increase, parents had difficulties sending their children to private schools, but this increase It was not enough to cover the costs of supplies for private schools. schools.

Atalay claimed that there was a decrease in the number of students in private schools and said: “The occupancy rate of private schools throughout Turkey is 45 to 50 percent. “Half of the classrooms in private schools are closed and empty, there are no students,” he said.

‘AT LEAST 3 THOUSAND PRIVATE SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED’

Recalling that 2,000 private schools in Turkey were closed last year due to rising costs, Atalay stated that they estimate that at least 3,000 schools will also close this year.

According to the law, private school tuition rates are determined by dividing the sum of the PPI plus CPI by 2, plus a 5 percent increase, private school tuition rates are determined based on the previous year’s rate, but the ministry has “According to the IPP-IPC calculation, this year this rate was 105 percent. The ministry has been determining our salaries for the last two years. “Last year there was an increase of 36 percent, this year we stayed at 65 percent,” he said.

Atalay said that private schools in Anatolia could not achieve a 65 percent increase due to declining demand and that the maximum increase rate increased to 50 percent, and that the 65 percent increase rate in cities metropolitan schools did not save the costs of private schools.

Making a statement about private schools requiring tuition fees of up to 500,000 lira per student, Atalay said: “There are around 10,000 private schools in Turkey. “Their number does not exceed 20, including metropolitan cities,” he said.

SALARIES OF TEACHERS IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS

After highlighting the increase in expenses of private schools, Atlay stated that they allocate 85 percent of their turnover to personnel expenses, when previously this proportion was around 35 percent. Atalay noted that although personnel expenses increased, teachers’ salaries decreased.

Atalay said that in the past, teachers working in private schools received a salary three times that of teachers working in public schools, and said: “Now we can’t even pay the salaries of teachers in public schools.” .

THE SERVICE PROBLEM IS DEEPERING

Atalay stated that municipalities determine the registration plates for the transportation of students from private schools and these are called “C plates”, and stated that private schools also have serious problems finding buses. Atalay stated that the service plates reached 2 million lira and that the plates were not purchased due to the price increase and that they had difficulty finding a service.

Mentioning that rising fuel prices create problems in service agreements, Atalay said:

“Last year, when we agreed with the ferries, the price of a liter of diesel was 6 lira, and when the schools opened, the price of a liter of diesel became 24 lira. “Probably this year we will also have the same problem. The price of diesel, which when we signed the contract was 28 liras per liter, is now 40 liras.”

Atalay stated that another problem in rising costs is food: “Parents are having trouble paying for meals because food prices are rising terribly fast. “This big problem in Turkey is also reflected in private schools,” he said.