Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Services is set to broaden its ‘School and Family Life’ training initiative for parents, aiming to enhance home-school co-operation and support children’s development amid ongoing education reforms.
Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Services plans to widen parent training on “School and Family Life” during the 2026-2027 academic year, as the government pushes ahead with its broader “Family and Population Decade” agenda. The ministry says the aim is to give families practical support and information while helping them build skills before problems emerge. According to a written statement from Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, the Aile Eğitim Programı, or Family Education Programme, is designed to strengthen parents’ ability to handle everyday challenges and to support children more effectively as they grow.
Göktaş said the move reflects the importance of the school transition period, when children take on new routines, expectations and social settings. She argued that parents need to respond to their children’s developmental stage and individual needs if they want them to settle in well and develop a positive attitude towards school. The ministry said the training is intended to reinforce a preventive approach, rather than waiting to respond once difficulties have already appeared.
The expanded sessions will focus on how families can help children adapt to school, support learning at home and work more closely with teachers. In practice, that includes building reading habits, choosing suitable books for a child’s age and interests, and making home routines more conducive to study. The Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services has already been running similar “School and Family” module training, with an emphasis on school-family co-operation and parental involvement in children’s education.
Göktaş said the ministry wants parents to play a more informed role in their children’s schooling and to strengthen co-operation between homes and classrooms. She added that the plan is to reach a wider group of parents through partnerships with schools, so that family education can be more closely aligned with the academic calendar. The programme will also address how families should respond to learning and behaviour problems at school and why communication with teachers matters, the ministry said.
The announcement comes as the ministry continues to roll out other support measures linked to the new academic year. In a separate statement, Göktaş said around 2 billion Turkish lira had been allocated to Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations for the first term of 2026-2027, to help low-income pupils with costs such as stationery, clothing, shoes and winter wear. Together, the measures point to a wider effort by Ankara to combine practical financial support with parental guidance as the school year gets under way.
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