ANKARA
A new regulation which includes major reforms to Turkey's privately run tutoring centers, or 'dershane,' has been published in the Turkish Official Gazette on Saturday.
According to the new regulation, private tutoring centers might continue to be run under the name of 'private educational courses' instead of 'dershane' before September 1.
Some private schools are at the heart of a bitter struggle between Turkey’s government and the so-called ‘Gulen movement’ led by U.S.-based preacher, Fethullah Gulen.
"Big changes are being brought to dershane regulation," said Turkish Education Minister Nabi Avci on Friday, giving details about the amendment which will impose certain restrictions on the centers.
As part of the regulation, the education centers will offer courses in three science groups (mathematics, science and social sciences) and classes will have, at most, 16 students of the same age.
"The number (16) can be lower but not higher," Avci said.
The amendment came after a Turkish court ruling blocked the closure of a network of ‘dershane’ on July 14. The court's decision had come as a shock, as it was only 45 days until the law was due to come into force.
The Republican People’s Party had appealed to the Constitutional Court last year claiming that the closure of such educational centers was "unconstitutional".
A substantial number of the centers are linked to Fethullah Gulen's ‘Hizmet’ group, which is accused by the Turkish government of infiltrating key state institutions and of forming an illegal ‘parallel state’.
