Democratic education policy and Turkish education system

Abstract

Democracy and its principles, which should be perceived as a way of life, can only be effectively introduced to the individuals through education. Schools are the best places to teach new generations the basic values of democracy such as respecting human rights, freedom, equality, respect for others, tolerance, compromise. At this point, student parents, civil society organizations, educational policy makers and especially the teachers have great responsibilities. In Turkey, which is a democratic country, several conferences and panels are held on behalf of democracy, lots of books and articles are written about the importance of democracy every year; however, it is often observed that democratic principles are violated. The purpose of this study is to define a general framework of a democratic education policy and evaluate the current situation in Turkey. This article was based on literature review and related literature indicates that in our country, there are certain facts that do not comply with democratic education. To achieve the ideal of a complete democratic society, our educational policy should be revised in the light of democratic principles and a consistent, scientific, long-term educational policy should be constituted.