Turkey: Youth, education.

In many respects, education was the raison d'être of Atatürk’s revolution. Establishing Turkey’s independence and securing Turkish territorial integrity were clearly vital impulses motivating the Turkish nationalists after World War I, but accomplishing those goals did not require a revolution. The revolution was not just political, motivated by Atatürk’s desire to be in charge. No, Atatürk wanted to be in charge in order to accomplish a revolution - a cultural Revolution. Atatürk believed the long-term success of Turkey depended on a cultural transformation from Eastern (Ottoman) tradition to Western “civilized” modernity. Turkey’s competition was Europe and they were outperforming them. Atatürk believed Turkey’s old ways were holding the country back and he was determined to shed them.

Bilkent's Gate

Education was the means for social transformation and had the notable side benefit of creating a constituency supportive of the policies going forward. As a result education and Turkey’s youth had a special place in the heart of Turkey’s unquestioned leader. They figure prominently in his rhetoric and mythology. Given the extraordinary devotion of Turks to Atatürk, even to this day, his commitment to education remains a core value of Turkish society. Turks take education seriously and have created a system that compares favorably with its European neighbors.

K-12 education is compulsory and admission to the university is competitive. There is a single nationwide, three-hour exam which creates a hierarchy among students and allocates the most desired placements based on performance. On the surface this is an egalitarian merit-based system. The reality is that like in the United States, exam prep is vital and exam prep courses cost money. Do the wealthy have an advantage? Of course they do, but in Turkey that advantage ends at the university's gates.

Once you get in, the Turkish university student has a pretty sweet deal. Their education will cost them virtually nothing. Tuition is non-existent, housing and board are provided. At Bilkent University (Turkey’s #1 and that's not just according to Murat, a proud alumnus, Wikipedia agrees) students had at their disposal anything they could need. The campus is immense (5000 acres, Harvard in comparison is 210 acres) and is more like a city unto itself with stores, a hospital, its own mosque (and religious space for minorities) and associated business enterprises. It is the realization of Atatürk’s vision for his country. It turns out graduates who in global competition take a backseat to no one.