Ministry to expand foreign language instruction hours in middle schools

ANKARA

Türkiye’s Education Ministry has unveiled plans to significantly increase foreign language instruction hours across middle schools, expanding the multi-language learning model initiative starting next academic year.

Initially piloted two years ago with nearly 3,000 fifth-grade students across 32 schools in 26 of the country’s 81 provinces, the model offers increased English lessons alongside German as a second foreign language.

This year, the program continued with sixth graders in those schools and expanded to 299 schools in all 81 provinces.

Responding to demands from students and parents, the ministry has recently released guidelines for more schools to join the program in the upcoming academic year.

Under the updated curriculum, foreign language education will no longer be limited to just fifth or sixth-grade students.

Instead, the model will be implemented in all middle school grades, 5th through 8th, ensuring continuity in language instruction and preventing learning gaps.

Weekly English lesson hours will be 14 for fifth graders, decreasing gradually to eight hours in sixth grade, seven hours in seventh grade, and five hours in eighth grade. German will be taught for two hours per week at all grade levels.

No fees will be charged for participation in the program, while the ministry will provide free textbooks and teaching materials.

Parents who prefer their children to continue with the regular curriculum instead of the multi-language program will have the option to enroll them in standard classes.