Turkey

Turkey invests a substantial amount of its budget in education and educational research. The ratio of the annual cost of one pupil in primary education to per capita gross national product was 9.6 percent in 1997.

The effectiveness of the five-year development plans are continually assessed and data analyzed to determine if the stated objectives have been met. Public documents report the results of the comprehensive analysis. Educational research is the basis of many changes. Needs assessments, economic reports, government indicators are some of the ways in which the Ministry of National Education gathers information. Since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, involving the public in educational matters has been important. The country's goal is to have universal literacy and life-long learning.

A network linking all universities' libraries and computing facilities' networks with major international networks and databases is underway. This project is in cooperation with the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey.