Politics · Turkey · 7 hrs ago
Bilal Erdoğan says Türkiye now competes with top education systems
Bilal Erdoğan said Türkiye's school results now compete with those of top-performing countries.
He made the claim at an academic awards ceremony at Hasan Kalyoncu University in Türkiye.
Erdoğan said international assessments such as TIMSS and PISA showed the country had risen from near the bottom in 2003 to the top five or top 10 in several categories.
He also said average class sizes had fallen from 35 students to around 20 over the past 25 years.
He linked these changes to investment in education and other areas, including transport, energy and health.
He argued that education and health investments build the skills and wellbeing needed for long-term economic competitiveness.
Erdoğan urged people to put aside internal disputes and strengthen unity to make the country more powerful.
Bilal Erdoğan said Türkiye now competes with the world’s most successful countries in primary and secondary education.
He cited Türkiye’s improved results in international education assessments, including TIMSS and PISA.
Erdoğan said Türkiye had moved from the bottom ranks in the early 2000s to the top five or top 10 in several categories.
He made the remarks at an academic awards ceremony at Hasan Kalyoncu University.
He also called for national unity and said education and health investment were important to long-term competitiveness.
- Who
- Bilal Erdoğan, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation.
- What
- He said Türkiye now competes with the world’s most successful countries in primary and secondary education.
- When
- Not stated. The article was published on October 26, 2026.
- Where
- Hasan Kalyoncu University’s Congress and Culture Center.
- Why
- He pointed to Türkiye’s improved results in international education assessments and investments in education.
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- Speaker
- Bilal Erdoğan
- Event
- Academic Awards Ceremony
- Venue
- Hasan Kalyoncu University Congress and Culture Center
- Assessment programmes
- TIMSS and PISA
- Earlier education rankings
- Türkiye was in the bottom ranks around 2003
What people are saying
Türkiye today has become a country that competes with the world’s most successful countries in terms of secondary and primary education results.
Türkiye was always in the last ranks around 2003, but steadily rose every three years and today has begun to rank in the top five and top 10 in many categories.
We have to believe in this and achieve it.