Vacation Is Over: The New School Year Starts Today

The new academic year starts today. Beyond classes and curricula, students will see several new practices: from mandatory uniforms and bell-free schools to safer transportation and family-themed activities.

Across all levels, approximately 18 million students and 1.2 million teachers are gathering in 74,538 schools and 761,416 classrooms nationwide, including those planned to open this year.

The curricula of the “Century of Türkiye Maarif Model”, launched gradually in 2024–2025, will be implemented this year in pre-school and application classes, primary grades 1–2, middle school grades 5–6, and secondary prep plus grades 9–10.

Adaptation Programs and the First Lesson Theme

Adaptation programs were organized on 1–5 September for children starting pre-school and first grade. For students entering middle school, guidance sessions to ease school adaptation will be held this week.

The first week will feature awareness activities, and the first lesson will focus on the theme: “Protecting the Green Homeland Against Forest Fires.”

Saplings for All Primary Pupils

Throughout the year, schools aim to foster love of nature, protect the green homeland, and raise awareness of forest fires through activities such as sapling planting and forest clean-ups.

Under the “Breath from Roots to the Future” protocol signed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, a short film titled “Every Child a Sapling” will be shown on the first day, and saplings will be distributed to all primary school students.

Within the “Green Homeland—My School Is a Remedy for the Future” framework, a variety of events, trainings, festivals, workshops, and field activities will be organized throughout the new school year.

Textbooks and Support Staff

For the 2025–2026 school year, a total of 184,455,297 textbooks have been distributed free of charge to students at public and private schools affiliated with the ministry.

Under the Community Benefit Program (TYP), 70,000 people have been employed for the new year, bringing the number of service staff at schools to 123,000.

Students to Wear Uniforms Again

This year, uniforms are mandatory. School uniforms will not carry any brand or logo.

The designated uniform will remain valid for 4 years and will not be changed.

Holiday and Term Calendar

First mid-term break: 10–14 November

As Atatürk Week coincides with the first mid-term break, the previous week all schools and institutions under the ministry will hold scientific meetings, conferences, exhibitions, competitions, and theater events to commemorate Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades, with the participation of students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

End of first term: 16 January 2026 — Semester break: from 19 January (Monday) to 30 January (Friday) — Second term begins: 2 February (Monday) — School year ends: 26 June (Friday).

Second mid-term break: 16–20 March.

Source: TRT Haber