Report on Religious Education in Turkey Released: A Skills-Centric Approach
to Religious Education
On December 22c, 2023, the "Religious Education in Turkey: General
Overview and Trends (2012-2022)" report was presented to the public at the
Altunizade Culture and Arts Center. This report is the second output of the
Turkey Religious Education Project, which was initiated by the Educational
Policy Research Center (EPAM) of the İLKE Foundation. The report provides a
comprehensive analysis of religious education in Turkey, encompassing formal
education and civil religious education, based on statistical data obtained
over the past decade.
Prof. Dr. Nurullah Altaş and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Umut Kaya, are co-authors of
the report, and affiliated with the Faculty of Theology at Marmara University.
It stands as an invaluable source of information, providing insights into the
transformation and growth of religious education in Turkey, building on the
previous research report titled "Transformation of Religious Education in
Turkey (1997-2012)," which was authored by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bahçekapılı.
The report not only highlights important findings and data but also offers
valuable recommendations to improve the field of religious education. It will
be of particular interest to educators and policymakers seeking to enhance the
religious education system in Turkey and its evolution over the past 25 years.
Altaş shared the difficulties his team faced during the research, emphasizing
their commitment to relying on reliable data. However, the lack of cooperation
from private and official religious education institutions proved to be a
significant obstacle, making it challenging to generate conclusive results. As
a result, the field of religious sciences is facing a considerable struggle.
Furthermore, the preschool religious education instructors should have
pedagogical training according to the report. It reveals that only 18% of Quran
Course instructors for 4-6-year-olds possess a combination of bachelor's,
university, and master's degrees. Approximately 50% of them have an associate
degree. The report emphasizes the importance of pedagogical training for
effective teaching to enhance the quality of religious education. It further
recommends in-service training courses or the establishment of master's
programs within various theology faculties for instructors.
They also shed light on the declining trend in the selection rates of
elective religion classes in middle schools. The elective courses, Quranic
Studies, Life of Prophet Muhammad, and Fundamental Religious Knowledge, show
decreasing selection rates from 5th to 8th grades. The report suggests that the
overlapping content between mandatory religious culture and ethics courses and
these electives is the reason for this change.
In brief, the report emphasizes the need for factual and skills-oriented
religious education. It cites a misalignment between our understanding of
religious education and the expected 21st-century skills and suggests creating
a program focusing on skills and competencies after conveying the content in
higher education for training religious education teachers. Lastly, the report
highlights the lack of adequate measurements to confirm the acquisition of
achievements and necessary skills by students.
