The Education of Entrepreneurship in Turkey

How is Entrepreneurship given? Entrepreunersip By means of education By means of project and support

Education System:Primary School and Entrepreneurship  Primary School lasts 8 years and it is compulsory.  Entrepreneurship isn’t given during this period by no means with a headline “Entrepreneurship”

According to an academical survey which was about how often the terms “leader,risk, invention, imagination power, profit/loss and enterprise” in Turkish and Social Sciences coursebooks which were studied until the fifth (5th) grade of primary education in Educational year;(Baysal,Hatice and A.Sait Özkul)

 None of these words is encountered in Turkish-1 Coursebook.  In Turkish-2 Coursebook either profit or loss words is used 7 times. The term “invention” is used once as well.  In Turkish-3 Coursebook the term “enterprise” is used six times and “profit/loss” term is used twice. Turkish Coursebook

 In Turkish-4 Coursebook the terms are used; leader(1)once,invention(18)eighteen times, enterprise(7) times and imagination power(3) three times.  Except this, in page 64, there is a question: “How can a lead pencil made apart from wood and without polluting the environment?” Being inventive and entrepreneur is encouraged here.  In page 108 it is mentioned that merchantry is an occupation. Turkish Coursebook

In Turkish-5 coursebook none of the said words is used. In page 91 Graham Bell’s inventing the phone is told. Turkish Coursebook

Social Sciences Coursebooks  In Social Sciences-1 Coursebook the term “leader” is used once and the term “invention” is used once as well.  In Social Sciences-2 Coursebook the term “leader” is used seven times and the term “innovation” is used twice.  In Social Sciences-3 Coursebook none of the said terms is used.

Continuation of Social Sciences Coursebook;  In Social Sciences-4 Coursebook the term “invention” is used 9 times.  In page 135 the students are expected to design a gadged never used or invented before.  In page 136 in the reading passage “Needs are the Basis of Inventions” the story of a crow of which beak can’t fit into a water pot and in an innovative thinking it fills the pot with stones and drinks water.

Continuation to Social Sciences Coursebook;  In Social Sciences-5 Coursebook the terms are used: Entrepreneur 10 times,enterprise 14 times, invention 10 times, leader once and imagination power 4 times. In page 104, the entrepreneurship of the businessman Vehni KOÇ is told.In page 105, the definition of entrepreneur is given.

 According to the definition an entrepreneur is the person who does innovation and improvement.In other words, an entrepreneur is the one who observes well and tries to realize the ideas by putting the opportunities to use.An entrepreneur’s qualifications are thinking fast, being decisive, self-confident, hardworking, observing well and having a high imagination power.

High School Education(Secondary School) and Entrepreunersip  It lasts 4 years.  High School Institutions divides into two main groups.These are;  General High Schools  Vocational High Schools

Entrepreneurship in General High Schools  In General High School in 9th grade 11 lessons are studied and all are compulsory.There isn’t any lesson about entrepreneurship.  In 10th grade the lesson “Entrepreneurship” holds a place in the other optional lessons among 29 kinds of credit total and is a programme of one hour in a week. In 11th and 12th grades the aplication is the same.

Entrepreneurship in Vocational High Schools  Before the enlargement of high school education to four years, “entrepreneurship” was taught as a lesson in Trade High Schools.  Along with enlarging all high schools to four years entrepreneurship has been taught as a module within “Professional Development” lesson in the 10th grades of Vocational High Schools.

Entrepreneurship in Higher Education  Associate Degree  Bachelor Degree  Post Graduate  Doctorate

Entrepreneurship in Associate Degree  It has been taught under the headline “Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management” in Economics and Administrative/Enterprise Programmes as compulsory.  In other programmes it’s been taught as an optional lesson.

Entrepreneurship in Bachelor Degree  It is only given in the 8th semester of Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculties.Especially, it is commonly taught in the Faculties of Management.  In other faculties or except the Management Department of Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculties either it is not taught or it is only taught as an optional lesson.

Entrepreneurship in Post Graduate and Doctorate Degrees  In some universities’ Management Science Fields “entrepreneurship” lesson is taught in Post Graduate and Doctorate degrees.But all lessons are taught theoretically.

BASIC SKILLS THAT ARE THOUGHT TO BE GAINED TO THE STUDENTS IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM  Critical Thinking  Creative Thinking  Communication  Research/Questioning  Problem Solving  Using Information Technologies  Entrepreneurship  Using Turkish Properly, Efficiently and Well  Doing Sums  Planning  Presentation  Network  Analytical Thinking  Decision Making  Organisation  Awareness

Teaching Strategies  Teaching Through Presentation  Teaching Through Innovation  Teaching Through Investigation- Survey

Entrepreneurship in Projects and Supports  IKMEP (Human Resources Development Through Vocational Education and Training Project)  Supports

IKMEP(Human Resources Development Through Vocational Education and Training Project)  It is a project being carried out with European Union. Can be accessed through this web adress; (  The project is being carried out in 8 pilot cities in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regions.  Entrepreneurship Education and Conferences are given within the scope of the project.

Supports;  KOSGEP (Development and Support of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Administration) supports the entrepreneurship education and activities.  Donations  Public Education Centres  Units Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship  Local Administrations

Conclusion  In Turkey, the phenomenon of entrepreneurship is programmed as an optional lesson in high schools but it hasn’t found a field of action yet.  In higher education, it is seen that entrepreneurship is taught as a compulsory lesson in Enterprise Programmes of Vocational Graduate Schools but in other programmes it is carried out as an optional lesson.  Consequently, in Bachelor Degree it is taught in senior classes of some Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculties’ Enterprise Departments as a compulsory or an optional lesson.

 Thank you for listening to me Cihat Savsar Hitit University