Didactics

A group of Turkish biology associations have reacted against a recently announced curriculum, saying they are disappointed with the fact that evolution has been left out.

The Education Ministry has increased the number of chapters in English courses for fifth grade students as part of efforts to turn the grade into a foreign language preparation year. 

Darwin's theory of evolution has been excluded from the most recent draft of Turkey's new national curriculum, which will be released following the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the head of the Education Ministry's curriculum board, Alpaslan Durmuş, has said.

Academics from top universities in Turkey have told the Education Ministry that evolutionary theory is excluded from curriculum "only in Saudi Arabia," after the ministry removed the subject from its formal new curriculum. 

Turkey's Education Ministry has introduced a draft curriculum that will cover all 51 compulsory classes that are taught in elementary, middle and high schools to the public opinion, while establishing a platform in which people will be able to leave comments and make contributions. 

When I was in junior high, every year they would take us to the ancient city of Ephesus, split us into two groups and make us debate on a given subject. We were not allowed to select our group, thus, the view we defended could actually be opposing our personal view. 

The Education Ministry is gearing up for a curriculum renewal project for all education units in Turkey, claiming to focus on simplifying content while increasing students' analytical skills. 

The Education Ministry plans to scrap its extended schools program as of the new academic year starting in September, Kathimerini understands.

Under the existing program, school day is extended to 4 p.m. The two extra hours, which help working parents, are used for extra-curriculum activities.

The Bulgarian government has approved an action plan which introduces a new range of professional qualification options for school students and adds a list of "protected professions".