‘Let the schools become life’ initiative in Turkey

What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country)?

‘Let the Schools Become Life’ is a project that supports lifelong learning in Turkey by utilizing local school resources such as computer labs, libraries, sporting facilities and playgrounds.

How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?

The ‘Let the Schools Become Life’ project was initiated by the trilateral agreement between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs and the Turkish Association of Municipalities on 13 December 2011.

Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?

The Ministry of Education General Directorate of Lifelong Learning is the regulating body of the project. The initiative is sustained by volunteers, including local residents and the school and municipality administration, who dedicate their free time to supporting awareness and interest in lifelong learning.

What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Who does it benefit and how?

The main objective of the initiative is to provide the local population with the opportunity to engage in education, sports and arts activities by establishing lifelong learning centres utilizing school infrastructure – computer labs, libraries and sports grounds. The rationale is that by increasing access to resources by 30% and opening up facilities to families and the public, problems caused by the lack of family-friendly urban planning will decrease, as will the spending on the construction of new sporting facilities and playgrounds.

The initiative improves the lives of the metropolitan population in particular by creating a safe space for entertainment, recreation and learning. The project is open to social, cultural, arts and sports events as well as literacy, language and family education classes.

The project also houses Z-libraries with internet access and a basic selection of books.

The study of the stakeholders’ opinions on the initiative (Karatas, 2015) indicated the need to expand the variety of activities offered and engage more stakeholders in the implementation process to reach a wider population. Obstacles reported by stakeholders included a lack of incentive for trainers and other personnel to work overtime and an uncertainty regarding distributed roles and duties.

References:

Karatas, S., 2015. Stakeholders' Opinions on 'Let the Schools Become Life' Project in scope of Lifelong Learning Activities. Educational Research and Reviews, 10(4), pp. 372-377.