Turkey’s school system is run by a single national ministry, the Ministry of National Education (Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı, MoNE). Curricula, textbooks, teacher appointments and the opening of public schools are all decided or approved at national level, while 81 provincial and 922 district directorates carry out the Ministry’s work across the country (Eurydice, 2025b). Understanding this structure is the first step to reading Turkish research on school leadership, since principals work within a chain of authority that runs from Ankara through the province and district to the school.
Legal basis
The general aims and principles of Turkish education are set out in the Basic Law of National Education (Law No. 1739, 1973). Since Turkey’s move to a presidential system, the Ministry’s organisation and the duties of its units have been defined by Presidential Decree No. 1 on the Organisation of the Presidency, published in July 2018, which replaced the earlier decree-law on the Ministry. Individual units are further regulated by their own regulations and directives.
Central organisation
The Ministry is headed by the Minister of National Education, supported by deputy ministers, each of whom oversees a group of units. The Ministry’s organisation chart lists the following central units (MoNE, n.d.):
| Group | Units |
|---|---|
| Board | Board of Education (Talim ve Terbiye Kurulu Başkanlığı) |
| Inspection and audit | Inspection Board (Teftiş Kurulu Başkanlığı); Internal Audit Unit (İç Denetim Birimi Başkanlığı) |
| General directorates for education | Basic Education; Secondary Education; Vocational and Technical Education; Religious Education; Special Education and Guidance Services; Lifelong Learning; Private Education Institutions; Higher Education and Education Abroad |
| Assessment, innovation and training | Measurement, Evaluation and Examination Services; Innovation and Educational Technologies; National Education Academy (Millî Eğitim Akademisi Başkanlığı) |
| Support units | Strategy Development; Human Resources (Personnel); Legal Services; Support Services; Construction and Real Estate; Information Technologies; European Union and Foreign Relations; Emergency and Defence Planning; Press and Public Relations; Private Office |
Two of these units deserve particular attention. The Board of Education is the Ministry’s main academic and advisory body: it prepares and reviews curricula and approves textbooks and teaching materials, which makes it central to any change in what is taught in Turkish schools. The National Education Academy was established by the Teaching Profession Law (Law No. 7528), published in the Official Gazette on 18 October 2024; under that law, the preparatory training of new teachers is delivered by the Academy (Teaching Profession Law, 2024).
Provincial and district organisation
In each of Turkey’s 81 provinces, a provincial directorate of national education (İl Millî Eğitim Müdürlüğü) carries out the Ministry’s work, and 922 district directorates (İlçe Millî Eğitim Müdürlüğü) operate under them. These directorates work under the authority and supervision of both the Ministry and the provincial governorship; district directorates report to their provincial directorate (Eurydice, 2025b). The governor, who represents the central government in the province, may also supervise and inspect the provincial directorate.
In practice, this means that a school principal’s immediate administrative superior is the district directorate, and many decisions that affect schools, from staffing to building maintenance, pass through the district and provincial levels before reaching the Ministry.
Inspection and supervision
At national level, inspection is the responsibility of the Ministry’s Inspection Board, made up of a chairperson, inspectors and assistant inspectors (Eurydice, 2025b). Its current regulation was published in the Official Gazette on 11 April 2023. At provincial level, education inspectors work within the provincial directorates, organised under a head of education inspectors, and carry out inspection and investigation of schools and institutions in the province (MoNE Inspection Board, 2025). The way Turkish schools are supervised has changed several times over the past two decades, and these changes are covered in a separate guide.
Offices abroad
The Ministry also maintains missions abroad. According to the most recent Eurydice description, these comprise 60 educational consultancies, 31 educational attaché offices and 2 permanent representation offices in 63 countries, which support education services for Turkish citizens living abroad (Eurydice, 2025a).
Why the structure matters for research
Because authority is concentrated at national level, Turkish principals have relatively limited room to make decisions on curriculum, staffing and budgets compared with principals in more decentralised systems. Researchers reading Turkish studies of school leadership, autonomy or accountability should keep this context in mind when comparing findings with those from other countries.
References
- Eurydice. (2025a, May 13). Türkiye: Administration and governance at central and/or regional level. European Commission. https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurypedia/turkiye/administration-and-governance-central-andor-regional-level
- Eurydice. (2025b, May 13). Türkiye: Administration and governance at local and/or institutional level. European Commission. https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurypedia/turkiye/administration-and-governance-local-andor-institutional-level
- Ministry of National Education. (n.d.). Teşkilat şeması [Organisation chart]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.meb.gov.tr/meb/teskilat.php
- Ministry of National Education Inspection Board. (2025). Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Teftiş Kurulu Başkanlığı çalışma yönergesi [Working directive of the Inspection Board]. Adopted March 20, 2025.
- Öğretmenlik Mesleği Kanunu [Teaching Profession Law], Law No. 7528. (2024). Resmî Gazete, 32696, October 18, 2024.
Last reviewed: October 11, 2026