Changes in the Field of Finance of Education in Turkey within the Context of Neoliberal Policies

In today’s world characterized by increasingly effective neo
liberal policies, not only the sphere of public services is being constricted but also the concept of “public service”
-which traditionally has been pointing at a responsible state providing public services based on social principles and methods is being transformed. In Turkey, “public reform policies” and the policies aimed at restructuring the state apparatus which have been implemented since 1980’s have been leading to important transformations in the field of public services in general and in the sphere of education specifically. In Turkey, a rapid transformation in public education system on which neoliberal & neoconservative policies are significantly effective has been going on and the idea stating that “individuals should consider education as a private investment and therefore students who derive private benefits from education should pay for the cost of it” is becoming widespread. Furthermore, because of the assumption that quality of education can only be improved through the creation of a competitive market in the field of education, private sector’s interest in education has been intensifying. By using the method of “public policy analysis” and by focusing on the concept of “public service”, our aimin doing this study is to discuss the transformation of the finance of education in Turkey in its relation to the ongoing crisis and restructuring dynamics all around the globe and to the historical and social development processes in Turkey.