Education Reform Initiative (ERI) is a project launched within the Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University to improve education policy and decision making through research, advocacy and monitoring. ERI is committed to quality K-12 education for all.

Education reform is an urgent necessity and priority in Turkey. The increasingly complicated relationship between education policy and question of citizenship, the needs of an economy integrated with Europe and demographic trends that can be turned into an advantage through education for social and economic development are the key issues that Turkey must address. A major goal of the project is to contribute to a paradigmatic shift in the Turkish political culture that will in turn help sustain an open society.

ERI also attempts to serve as an example as to how policy dialogue should be conducted within a contemporary democratic framework by bringing together concerned civil society groups and the relevant state agencies to catalyze an innovative collective thought process for education reform policy.

Program Areas

Turkey aims to transform herself into a knowledge society with a highly competitive economy capable of sustainable development and eventually become a member of the European Union. Education is of strategic importance in pursuit of these challenging goals, urging constant progress in access, equity and quality. Within this framework, ERI has so far defined four program areas and nine reform areas as its scope of policy. These program areas are as follows:

1. Equal access

Focus of ERI: Early Childhood Education (ECE), Gender Parity

2. Quality and effectiveness

Focus of ERI: Critical Thinking, Curriculum and Textbooks, Teacher Training, University Entrance and High Schools, Education Governance

3. Resources

Focus of ERI: Education and Demographics, Education Finance

4. Policy culture and practices

Strategy & Activities

Starting with the Advisory Conference in May 2003, which brought together leaders from public and private arena to discuss various issues pertaining to K-12 education and to generate solutions, ERI formed various circles of networks with institutions and individuals. These networks have since constituted the backbone of several activities pursued by ERI. These activities included policy research, advocacy, monitoring and knowledge dissemination.

ERI has collaborated with major stakeholders in essential issues during 2004. Major activities were:

• Curriculum Reform: ERI has developed an increasingly open dialogue with the Board of Education within the Ministry of National Education. Using this dialogue for constructive engagement in the policy making process, ERI has been actively involved in the curriculum reform process. Lately, a Curriculum Review Commission has been formed to evaluate the new curriculum.
• Research on Demographics: ERI published a study examining the "demographic gift" argument in-depth. Based on projection of education indicators of Turkey until 2025, the report predicts a more educated labor force in the future, drawing attention to the potential impact of internal migration on education and to increasing need for life learning opportunities for the adult population.
• Conference on Best Practices in Education: 96 good practices from schools, universities and NGOs were shared with 600 participants during 2005 Conference on Best Practices in Education. Last year, ERI reached 800 teachers around Turkey through one major conference and two provincial workshops in collaboration with provincial directorates of education and Frederich Ebert Foundation.
• World Bank Education Sector Study: ERI has collaborated with the World Bank on education sector study. Several papers drafted during the first phase of the study were discussed by academicians and NGO representatives in workshops held in Izmir, Van, Eskisehir, Ankara and Istanbul. Organized by ERI, these workshops aimed at providing a venue for enriching the sector study through a participatory mechanism, as well as disseminating the findings, thus recruiting and creating 'stakeholders' during the production process.
• EU Gender Project: The consortium of ACEV, ERI, and the Association for Supporting Women Candidates (KA.DER) was awarded a European Commission grant on integration of gender issues in development co-operation in September 2004. The project aims at reducing gender disparity in education and increasing women's social participation through functional and political literacy, parent training, collective action and advocacy. ERI will contribute to the project mainly by undertaking activities to improve local and national policy formulation, dialogue and monitoring in the area of gender disparity in education.
• Religion and Education: In 2004, ERI has initiated a collaborative process among various stakeholders from different backgrounds and with different opinions to discuss the emerging need for reform on religion and education. Consensus on principles and recommendations regarding reform has been reached through meetings and preparations that lasted for nine months. Using this final declaration, ERI is now actively advocating for these principles and recommendations among the stakeholders. ERI values the process of consensus building as much as the final declaration. This is a good example of how collaborative thinking at the grassroots level could promote consensus building among stakeholders on sensitive issues such as religion and education.

Education Reform Initiative website: http://www.erg.sabanciuniv.edu

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