The Century of Türkiye Education Model introduces a comprehensive curriculum reform covering all levels of education from pre-primary to upper secondary. It establishes a holistic, student-centred and skills-based framework integrating knowledge, competences, values and dispositions. The model emphasises balanced learner development through cross-curricular elements such as values education, social-emotional learning and systems thinking. It also promotes differentiated instruction, school-based flexibility and formative assessment. The reform aims to develop competent and well-rounded individuals prepared for lifelong learning and active social participation. Within this framework, education seeks to foster the balanced development of students while supporting critical thinking, responsibility, creativity and civic awareness.

The model is built on four key principles that shape how students learn and grow: understanding human nature, approaching knowledge, structuring learning over time, and developing values. These principles define a student profile based on the unity of body and soul, with ten core traits: being moral, wise, courageous, aesthetically aware, strong-willed, compassionate, healthy, inquisitive, productive, and patriotic.

The curriculum runs from pre-primary to upper secondary in a spiral structure. It combines subject knowledge with skills, ensuring students not only learn facts but also apply, interpret, and transfer them. The skills framework includes conceptual, subject-specific, literacy, and social-emotional skills, along with the ability to use. Subject-specific skills cover areas like language, maths, science, arts, IT, and foreign languages. Learning outcomes link knowledge with skills to develop higher-order thinking. The curriculum has been cut by 35%, removing unnecessary content to focus on deeper learning and competence development.

Three cross-curricular components strengthen the curriculum:

• The Virtue-Value-Action framework ties values like respect, responsibility, and justice to real actions.

• Social-emotional learning builds self-awareness, emotional control, empathy, and positive relationships.

Systems thinking integrates literacy in information, digital, financial, cultural, data, and sustainability domains, helping students analyse problems and create solutions.

The model emphasises flexible, inclusive teaching. Teachers use differentiated instruction—adapting lessons through flexible grouping, enrichment, and targeted support—to meet diverse needs. Schools have dedicated planning time for teachers to design local projects, investigations, and social activities, tailoring lessons to their community. Extra-curricular activities further support students’ mental, social, physical, and moral growth, helping them apply skills in real life.

Assessment focuses on continuous, formative feedback to track progress in knowledge, skills, and values. Pre-assessments check readiness, formative assessments monitor ongoing progress, and summative assessments are balanced with process-oriented methods. Teachers reflect on their instruction to improve teaching practices continuously.

For more information: https://tymm.meb.gov.tr/