Turkey, where one-third of schools are in rural areas and nearly one in ten students attend them, faces unique

Turkey, where one-third of schools are in rural areas and nearly one in ten students attend them, faces unique educational challenges. BBC Türkçe visited Yenidoğan İlkokulu in Barğaç village, Şanlıurfa, a multi-grade school where children from first to fourth grade share a classroom. Hasan Basri Manap, 26, the school's teacher and acting principal, started his education there in 2006. After studying at Harran University, he returned as a teacher.

'I was hesitant in my first lesson despite a year of college experience, he says. He highlights transportation and physical conditions as difficulties, adding that 'the key is communication with parents—if that triangle of parent, teacher, and student breaks, everything collapses. According to data from the Village Schools Change Network (KODA), as of June 2026, one in three schools is in a village or rural neighborhood, and one in ten children studies in a village school.

KODA founder Mine Ekinci notes that there is no official 'village school' category; they are classified as 'schools with combined classes' or 'schools with bussed education. Ministry of National Education statistics for 2024-2025 show over 16 million students, with about 1 million using bussed education. Ekinci stresses the importance of using the term 'village school' due to distinct issues and opportunities, such as small class sizes, familiar environments, and better teacher-student relationships, which foster family involvement.