UNICEF: Turkey Ranks Last in Preschool Education Among 41 Countries

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The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Office of Research Innocenti has released a report entitled "An Unfair Start: Inequality in Children's Education in Rich Countries".

The report, which has been prepared by education specialists Yekaterina Chzhen, Anna Gromada and Gwyther Rees, has shared information regarding inequalities encountered by children in rich countries.

According to the report, Turkey is the country with the highest number of inequalities in terms of preschool education.

Latvia is the most fair country in preschool education

In the report, which has evaluated inequalities in primary and secondary education of 41 countries, Latvia has ranked the first in terms of preschool education. Latvia has been followed by France and Island in that category.

According to the report, Turkey has ranked the last among 41 countries in terms of preschool education, indicating that it is the country with the highest number of inequalities encountered in preschool education.

Countries providing the most equal opportunities

As for primary school education, the Netherlands, Latvia and Finland have been the countries which offer the most equal opportunities to their students. In secondary school education, while Latvia has ranked the first, it has been followed by Ireland, Spain and Denmark.

The report has also indicated that Turkey has been omitted from the statistics on other stages of education as "the proportion of 15-year-olds who are either excluded from PISA 2015 or are not at school exceeds 20 percent".

1 out of 3 children cannot go to kindergarten

The report has shown that one out of every three children in Turkey cannot receive preschool education. While only 68 percent of children in Turkey can go to a kindergarten, Turkey has ranked the last among 41 countries.

According to UNICEF, 10 percent of students in primary and secondary schools in Turkey fail their classes. The countries with the highest rates in this category are Belgium with 34 percent and Portugal with 31 percent. (OI/HK/SD)