High school education in Türkiye is diverse, with public, private, and foreign schools. Regardless of their type, year of establishment, or backing, all these schools are dependent on and regulated by the Ministry of Education (MEB). This policy dates back to the years of the Turkish Liberation War. After the Treaty of Lausanne, Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, shut down any foreign schools that refused to partner with the government or modify their curriculum based on the criteria determined, with the aim of stopping these foreign schools from interfering with the internal politics of the country. This decision led many foreign high schools, regulated by consulates, to shut down permanently, resulting in a more limited choice of foreign high schools present in Türkiye at the moment, though there are still some. The most well-known high schools that receive consular support are the French and German ones; American schools, on the other hand, receive no support but are nonetheless very popular. Even though the French and German schools receive consular support, they are not totally bound to them. Therefore, most of the “foreign” schools that operate in another language, such as English, German, or French in Türkiye aren’t seen as foreign schools by the government but rather private schools, meaning they are still regulated by the MEB, with some exceptions that are only connected to foreign embassies.
Over a million students take the High School Entrance Exam (LGS) every year in an attempt to gain admission to the high schools of their dreams, some of which are the private “foreign” high schools mentioned above. This perception has changed over time. In the past, private “foreign” high schools were often viewed as institutions for students who did not achieve the necessary scores to gain admission to prestigious public high schools. However, the demand for these high schools increases every year, even though the prices are increasing just as much, if not more, highlighting the better opportunities and international connections provided by the schools. This year, six to seven times more students pre-registered for private foreign schools than there are available slots. Some believe this shift from public to private “foreign” schools is because of the economic state of the country, which doesn’t provide stability to the students who may be thinking of staying in Türkiye after finishing high school, and the new regulations implemented by MEB, which are seen as unnecessary by most students as well as parents because of their religious nature. A poll by The Istanbul Chronicle showed that 90% of the 10th-grade students at Üsküdar American Academy felt the new regulations didn’t have any benefits to the curriculum. For all these reasons, parents and students have started to look for high schools that are not as strictly regulated by MEB as public schools, resulting in the rise in the popularity of private “foreign” schools, especially ones supported by consulates, because of their power to occasionally disobey the MEB. The debate over how much independence these private high schools are granted has been reignited by their growing popularity, with French high schools at the center of controversy.
The first big controversy began in May of this year, with private French high schools operating in Istanbul, such as Saint-Joseph, Saint Benoît, Notre-Dame de Sion, Saint-Michel and Sainte-Pulchérie, coming face-to-face with an investigation on the suspicion that the mentioned schools were violating Article 4 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition by together determining school registration fees, the elements that constitute the fee, and the salaries of Turkish teachers. Article 4 of Law No. 4054 forbids decisions and actions made by associations of undertakings that restrict competition, as well as agreements and coordinated practices between undertakings. At the end of the investigation, the private French high schools were found guilty and fined. Each school was fined different amounts based on their 2023 gross revenues, with Saint Joseph being fined 5,565,860.85 TL, Saint Benoît 5,466,201.23 TL, Notre-Dame de Sion 4,221,572.43 TL, Sainte-Pulchérie 3,162,053.1 TL, and Saint-Michel 2,909,221.48 TL. Hence, Istanbul’s private French high schools are being fined approximately 21 million TL in total, which can make a big difference in the budget that is allocated for extracurricular activities organized by the schools. However, it is also important to mention that certain private foreign schools have a similar price range but for the time being French schools were the only ones fined. For instance, Robert College and Üsküdar American Academy’s tuition fees are in the 900k–1 million range, whereas Sankt Georg Austrian and German High Schools’ tuition fees are around the 600k–800k range. All these reasons together led many parents and students to believe that the fines may be the government’s way of “getting back” to these private French high schools not only for price fixing but also for their opposition to these new regulations implemented by the MEB. Some of these regulations include doubling the number of religion lessons, which, as seen by the aforementioned poll, has not been well received by students. Most private foreign schools already have an extremely packed schedule because they often provide two diplomas after graduation and also provide extracurricular activities for the students. So, adding two more religion lessons was seen as superfluous and a lost cause by the public. Nevertheless, all private foreign schools, no matter if they were linked to a consulate or not, had to add extra religion lessons to their curriculum, often decreasing the number of second foreign language lessons in the process. This is because the private French schools are supported by the French embassy, but they are not entirely affiliated with it. Rather, they report back to both the French embassy and the MEB, putting them in an uncomfortable position if they wish to not follow the new regulations of the MEB. However, most private schools, including the French ones, only added one extra religion lesson, while public schools had to make up space for two extra lessons. The fact that the recent fines were given right after this decision led many to believe that this was a response from the MEB and the government.
The second controversy regarding the legal status of the French Charles de Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools has actually been going on since December. These schools were not previously mentioned, as they are not regarded as private but as actual foreign schools with a complete connection to the French Embassy and no ties to the MEB. The disagreement about the legal status of the two French schools between the MEB and the French Embassy turned into a crisis, leading a French committee to come to Türkiye. Based on the announcement from the Pierre Loti School Parent Association, the French committee is expected to meet with MEB officials. France’s Ankara Embassy later confirmed this claim from their X account and stated that they are “determined to carry on the negotiations in a very focused manner to reach a solution”.
The Charles de Gaulle School in Ankara and the Pierre Loti School in Istanbul are the only two schools that are regulated by the French Embassy in Türkiye, meaning they are run by the French Ministry of Education and the Agency for French Education Abroad (EFEA). EFEA decided the curriculum of both schools in order for them to be in order with all EFEA-run schools. Neither of the schools is officially approved in Türkiye, which is the basis of the controversy. After the meetings between the French committee and the Turkish officials ended, both sides were still persistent on their views. On July 12, a written statement was sent, signed by Sylvie Lemasson, the Director of the Turkish-French Cultural Center and the Undersecretary for Cultural Events Cooperation. The statement mentioned that if the draft agreement sent to them by the MEB on July 2 is not accepted, Turkish citizens will not be admitted starting from the 2024–2025 academic year, and the Turkish citizens currently studying at the school will be transferred to Turkish schools. On July 13, the tension increased when Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin said at the Expanded Provincial Advisory Board Meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Erzurum that they would initiate the necessary legal procedures if the French officials did not accept the conditions presented.
In a new statement, the MEB confirmed that the new student registrations for Charles de Gaulle and the Pierre Loti Schools have been stopped on the basis that both schools were operating without an approved legal status. It was also mentioned that negotiations are still going on.
The officials agreed on four terms for the time being:
It has been decided that negotiations should be started for a comprehensive educational cooperation agreement that includes "Turkish" language education for Turkish students residing in France and that it should be completed as soon as possible.
Until the international agreement regarding granting legal status is finalized, no new Turkish student registrations will be allowed at the mentioned schools. In this context, starting from January 1, 2024, new Turkish student registrations for kindergarten and the first grades of primary school at Charles De Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools will not be permitted for the 2024–2025 school year and beyond. Additionally, no new transfer students will be accepted in intermediate classes as well.
As of January 2024, a list of Turkish students currently in schools and information about schools certified by AEFE will be submitted to the MEB before the start of the next school year.
Additionally, until these schools gain legal status, classes in "Turkish language, Turkish culture, Turkish literature, Turkish history, and geography" can be taught by teachers from the Republic of Türkiye assigned by the MEB. The educational processes of these schools will be monitored and supervised by Ministry officials and other relevant state units assigned to offices that will be established within them.
Just like the previous controversy, this crisis happened during the 2023-2024 education year, in which the MEB implemented its new policies, even though both schools have been operating in Türkiye since the 1940s. Some speculate that the MEB wanted the Charles De Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools to include religion lessons in their curriculum and hire Turkish teachers. However, the MEB does not have control over these schools because they are affiliated with the French Embassy and operate similarly to the old foreign schools that were closed down after the Treaty of Lausanne, which raises the question “Why aren’t these schools shut down?”. After most foreign schools were shut down, only three countries were allowed to keep their schools which were France, England, and Italy. However, starting in 1924 the MEB declared that they were secularizing education and therefore closed any foreign schools involved in religious propaganda. Hence, the only operating foreign schools left in Türkiye are now secular and either owned by France, England, or Italy, which is why the Charles De Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools weren’t shut down previously. The Charles De Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools were established in order to provide an opportunity for French students residing in Türkiye to keep in touch with their culture and grow up with the French culture. When it was first established, most of the students attending were children of French diplomats. Education in these schools starts in kindergarten and lasts for 15 years. During these years, students graduate with the same diplomas given by a high school in France. For example, they are given the brevet diploma after finishing middle school and need to pass the baccalauréat exams in order to be able to graduate from high school. Since these schools were established by the French for the French, French applicants are given priority in admissions, and because the schools already have a very limited quota, not all Turkish students can get in. There isn’t much information about the student admission requirements of these schools on the Internet, as their websites are shut down at the moment. Some speculate that only French citizens can get in, while others say that Armenians, Turks, and Greeks can also be seen attending the school. The area occupied by the Charles De Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools is even considered French land, which is just another instance that emphasizes their special status. However, those two are not the only schools with similar special treatment. The British International School (BIS), located in Istanbul, is another example of such a school, as it doesn't accept Turkish citizens. However, BIS didn’t cause as much of a fuss as Charles De Gaulle or Pierre Loti because it has been maintaining its grounds for establishment, which is to provide a place for education for British students living in Türkiye, and operating in the same way for years.
The controversies surrounding French high schools emphasize the tension between the MEB’s regulations and the longstanding traditions of these institutions, as well as backlash to these new regulations from some portion of the public, especially from those who have ties to the mentioned institutions. As demand for foreign schools rises, so too does the scrutiny they face, revealing underlying issues related to national identity, educational autonomy, and cultural integration. From this point forward, the outcomes of the continued negotiations will significantly shape the future of foreign and private “foreign” schools in Türkiye.