The report reveals that children and the education system are striving to stay afloat amid multiple crises, ranging from disasters and economic turmoil to forced migration and digital transformation.
The report states:
“For education systems to serve as a network of social resilience in the face of crises, all children must first be enrolled in formal education institutions. This is also the first step in ensuring their right to quality education.”
One in Four Children Aged 15–17 Is Working
The section addressing the impact of the economic crisis on education notes that as of 2024, 39.5% of children in Türkiye are at “risk of poverty or social exclusion,” compared to the EU average of 24.2%.
While 24.9% of children aged 15–17—one out of every four—participate in the labor force, the rising rate of working children in this age group and the fact that nearly one-third of all children live in material deprivation demonstrate how socioeconomic conditions play a determining role in children dropping out of education.
According to the report, there is also a significant gap between education spending by the richest and poorest households. It highlights that the richest households spend 28 times more on education than the poorest households.
1,470,694 Children Out of Formal Education
According to the report, in the 2024–25 school year, approximately 804,250 children who are of compulsory school age were out of education. When adding 273,557 children aged 18 or younger enrolled in open high schools instead of formal education institutions, and 392,887 students in Vocational Training Centers (MESEM) who spend more time in workplaces than in school, the total number of children outside formal education rises to 1,470,694.
School Enrollment Rates of Girls Are Declining
The report examines adjusted net enrollment rates at the secondary level. The number of provinces where girls’ enrollment rates remain below 80% has increased. Şanlıurfa, Muş, Şırnak, Siirt, Ağrı, Bitlis, Mardin, Hakkari, Diyarbakır, Van, and Batman are listed as the provinces with the lowest enrollment rates for girls.
The report shows that a significant portion of girls of secondary-school age are either still in lower secondary education because they started school late or remain out of education entirely.
Non-Formal Education Is Not an Alternative to Formal Schooling
The Education Monitoring Report 2025 emphasizes that formal education institutions have more effective tools than non-formal education systems to protect children from risks such as child labor and child, early, and forced marriage. Therefore, it stresses that non-formal education should never be considered an alternative to formal education for children of compulsory school age.
According to the report, 392,887 students aged 18 and under spent 4–5 days a week in workplaces as part of MESEM programs during the 2024–25 school year. Gaps in workplace safety inspections expose these students to serious risks, including child labor, neglect, and abuse.
The report also provides data on open high schools. Compared to the previous year, the number of students aged 18 and under enrolled in open high schools decreased by 14.2%, while the number of students transferring from formal education to open education increased by 30.3%.
Access to Education Is a Child Protection Issue
The report underscores that schools and education constitute a multi-layered ecosystem that cannot be reduced to mere knowledge transfer, and that schools play a critical role in implementing the preventive goals of the child protection system.
The Education Monitoring Report 2025 notes that 202,785 children were brought before security units in Türkiye in 2024 as “children in conflict with the law,” emphasizing that this phenomenon must also be evaluated through the lens of weakened resilience networks, including schools.
The report highlights that due to material deprivation, one in ten children in Türkiye cannot eat fresh fruit or vegetables daily, and one in four children does not regularly consume protein.
You can access the Education Monitoring Report 2025 here.