This page compares the education systems of Turkey and Indonesia.
Education System Overview
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public–private mix; governance model: Centralised national framework with school-level implementation Source✅ | Mixed public/private system with decentralized school delivery. National ministries set core standards and policy, while provincial and district governments manage major parts of public-school provision. |
| Governing Body | Ministry of National Education (K–12) and Council of Higher Education (CoHE / YÖK) (tertiary) Source✅ | Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) for general school education; Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) for the madrasah system; and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) for higher education. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | World Bank indicator series (UNESCO UIS-sourced); most-recent year/value is shown on the country chart Source✅ | Approximately 1.3% of GDP in 2023, the latest value reported in the World Bank/UNESCO Institute for Statistics series. [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | From age 6 to age 18 (12-year compulsory schooling) Source✅ | The statutory compulsory basic-education requirement covers approximately ages 7–15. Indonesia is separately expanding policy toward 13 years of compulsory education, including one preschool year and senior secondary education. [BPK] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 12 years Source✅ | 9 years under the established statutory basic-education requirement; the current national policy direction is 13 years, structured as one preschool year plus 6 years primary, 3 years junior secondary, and 3 years senior secondary. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional (national expansion focus); age 3–5 rate: not centrally published as a single open figure across all sources Source✅ | ECE is generally non-compulsory under the established statutory framework, while the 13-year policy prioritizes one preschool year for ages 5–6. Gross PAUD participation reached approximately 36.2% in 2025; this is a broad PAUD participation indicator rather than a strict ages 3–5 net-enrollment rate. [PAUDPEDIA] |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | 4+4+4 (primary + lower secondary + upper secondary) Source✅ | 6 + 3 + 3: 6 years of primary school, 3 years of junior secondary school, and 3 years of general or vocational senior secondary education. Some vocational programs may run for 4 years. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | Two-track structure: general and vocational & technical; official split varies by year and is not consistently presented as one headline percentage in a single open source Source✅ | Approximately 33.5% vocational / 66.5% general, based on 2024/2025 senior-secondary enrollment totals across SMK and general/religious upper-secondary pathways. [Kemendikdasmen] |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | September (typical) Source✅ | Typically July. Exact starting dates are established through provincial/local education calendars. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | June (typical) Source✅ | Typically June of the following calendar year, with exact dates varying by province and local education authority. |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | Typically around 36 weeks (calendar varies by year) Source✅ | Approximately 36 effective instructional weeks for a typical full school year; the precise total varies by grade, regional calendar, holidays, and school program. |
| Instruction Days per Year | Typically around 180 days (calendar varies by year) Source✅ | Approximately 180 instructional days on a five-day-school equivalent basis; actual totals vary by regional calendar and school-week arrangement. |
Grading System
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | 0–100 scale (commonly used across K–12) Source✅ | No single mandatory national A–F or fixed numeric passing scale. Under Kurikulum Merdeka, schools and teachers use learning-achievement criteria known as KKTP, which may combine numerical results, descriptors, rubrics, and competency evidence. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | ECTS (A–F) and GPA (commonly 4.0) depending on institution/programme Source✅ | Institution-specific, although a 4.00 GPA scale with letter grades is widely used. A common model ranges from A = 4.0 to E = 0, with some universities using intermediate grades. [ITB] |
Language of Instruction
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Turkish Source✅ | Bahasa Indonesia is the principal national language of instruction. Regional languages may support instruction during early stages where appropriate. [BPK] |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | Not established as a single nationwide public-language stream; some private and international schools offer English-medium or other bilingual programmes Source✅ | Regional/local languages may be used as supporting instructional languages, particularly in early education. English is primarily taught as a foreign language; it is scheduled to become a compulsory primary-school subject from the 2027/2028 academic year. [Kemendikdasmen] |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Majority share (nationwide public provision) Source✅ | Approximately 66.5%, calculated from 2024/2025 primary, junior-secondary, and senior-secondary enrollment by school status. Public shares were about 73.2% at primary, 60.9% at junior secondary, and 57.3% at senior secondary. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | USD $0 (tuition-free public schooling) Source✅ | $0 tuition for compulsory basic education in government schools under the national education framework. Permitted ancillary costs and locally administered support arrangements can vary. [BPK] |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes (broad nationwide coverage) Source✅ | Yes. Public primary and secondary schools operate nationwide across Indonesia’s provinces and districts, complemented by the public religious-school network. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Smaller share relative to public; exact % varies by year and level Source✅ | Approximately 33.5% across primary through senior-secondary education, derived from official 2024/2025 student totals by school status. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | Mostly urban and major metropolitan areas (with nationwide presence) Source✅ | Nationwide presence, with particularly extensive provision in densely populated and urban areas and through community, foundation, and religious education networks. |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | Not centrally published as a single national count; presence includes international and international-programme schools Source✅ | Approximately 146 directory-listed international schools as of 2026; this figure represents a specialist international-school directory rather than an official government census. [International Schools Database] |
| Number of IB World Schools | 127 IB World Schools Source✅ | Approximately 80 IB World Schools listed for Indonesia in 2026. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | IB, Cambridge, American, and other international curricula depending on school Source✅ | IB, Cambridge International, British, American, Australian, Singaporean, French, and bilingual/internationalized Indonesian curricula are among the principal options. |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | Typically a Bachelor’s degree (teacher education / subject-field) Source✅ | A minimum academic qualification of S-1 bachelor’s degree or D-IV applied bachelor’s level is the national professional benchmark, alongside teacher-certification requirements for eligible professional teachers. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | Not consistently published as one national average in a single open source for all years; class size varies by region and school type Source✅ | Approximately 21 students per class group nationally, based on the official primary student-to-class-group ratio dataset. [Data Indonesia] |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | Not consistently published as one national average; varies by region and school type Source✅ | Approximately 28 students per class group at junior-secondary level. [Data Indonesia] |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | Not consistently published as one national average; varies by programme and school type Source✅ | Approximately 30 students overall as an indicative upper-secondary figure. General senior-secondary classes average about 32 students, while vocational classes are closer to 27 students. [Data Indonesia]; vocational reference: [Data Indonesia] |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation (First Year) | 2003 participation Source✅ | 2001, through the PISA 2000 Plus administration; Indonesia has subsequently participated regularly in PISA. |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 454 / 466 / 468 Source✅ | 379 / 371 / 396. [OECD PISA 2018] |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 453 / 456 / 476 Source✅ | 366 / 359 / 383. [OECD] |
| Average PISA Rank 2000–2022 (Math / Reading / Science) | Not published as a single standard “average rank” metric; OECD provides cycle-by-cycle results and distributions Source✅ | Not officially published as a standardized OECD metric. Participant numbers and economies included differ by PISA cycle, so a single comparable 2000–2022 average rank is not reported by OECD. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2022) | Science (highest of the three 2022 domain scores) Source✅ | Science, with a score of 383, compared with 366 in mathematics and 359 in reading. [OECD] |
Higher Education System
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 208 universities (state + foundation + foundation vocational schools, as presented by the national “Study in Türkiye” portal) Source✅ | 4,303 institutions in the 2025 national higher-education statistics. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | Designated research universities are evaluated annually; the CoHE publishes updates and rankings (2025 cycle includes 10 candidate research universities) Source✅ | 981 institutions classified as Universitas. Indonesia’s national statistics do not publish a separate statutory count specifically labeled research universities. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | Not a separate national institutional category; applied and associate-degree provision is commonly delivered via vocational schools within universities Source✅ | 885 vocational/applied institutions: 389 polytechnics, 465 academies, and 31 community academies. Indonesia also reports 2,006 Sekolah Tinggi, specialized higher-education schools/colleges. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Main Institution Types | State universities; foundation (non-profit) universities; foundation vocational schools Source✅ | Universities; institutes; Sekolah Tinggi; polytechnics; academies; and community academies. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | Public/non-profit: not centrally stated as a single % in this summary source | Private/for-profit: not centrally stated as a single % in this summary source Source✅ | State/public-managed: approximately 50.3% | Society/private-managed: approximately 49.7% of registered students in 2025. National statistics classify institutions primarily by management/ownership group rather than a strict nonprofit-versus-for-profit distinction. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | Not centrally published as one national total; many universities offer English-medium tracks (notably in engineering and business) Source✅ | Not centrally published as a national total. English-medium International Undergraduate Programs and international/English-track master’s programs are reported primarily by individual universities. |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | Majority (programme language varies by institution and field); no single official % consolidated in this summary source Source✅ | No verified nationwide percentage is centrally published. Bahasa Indonesia is the predominant national instructional language, while individual institutions may operate bilingual or English-medium programs. |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | Available across many institutions; no single official % consolidated in this summary source Source✅ | No verified nationwide percentage is centrally published. English-medium provision represents a specialized subset of programs, particularly international undergraduate and postgraduate tracks. |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings Source✅ | QS World University Rankings is used here as the selected international comparison framework. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | Not stated as a fixed country count in the publicly accessible country filter view; inclusion depends on the selected edition and filters Source✅ | 0 universities in the global Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | Not stated as a fixed country count in the publicly accessible country filter view; inclusion depends on the selected edition and filters Source✅ | 7 universities in the global Top 500 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | Not stated as a fixed country count in the publicly accessible country filter view; inclusion depends on the selected edition and filters Source✅ | 12 universities in the global Top 1000 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK) Source✅ | BAN-PT (National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education), complemented by discipline-specific Independent Accreditation Agencies (LAM). [BAN-PT] |
| International Students (Total) | Not stated in this summary source as a single national total; reported in sector monitoring publications and institutional statistics Source✅ | No standalone, current nationwide international-student total is published in the 2025 public higher-education dashboard. International-student study-permit administration is maintained through the ministry’s dedicated foreign-student service. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | Not stated in this summary source as a single %; share depends on the coverage of the underlying student count (formal/open/distance) Source✅ | Not centrally published as a verified current nationwide percentage; therefore, a national share cannot be stated reliably from the 2025 public statistics. Total registered tertiary enrollment was approximately 10.75 million students. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | USD $0–$0 for many standard public programmes; fees may apply in specific cases depending on institution/programme Source✅ | Approximately $60–$1,600 per year for regular means-tiered undergraduate tuition in a representative public-university program; exact UKT charges vary substantially by university, program, and assigned fee band. [Universitas Indonesia] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | Institution-set; typically published by each university as annual fees (USD varies by programme) Source✅ | Approximately $1,700–$7,500 per year as an indicative range across foreign-student bachelor’s tuition categories at a major public university, excluding any one-time institutional-development charges. [UGM] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | Institution-set; English-medium tracks are priced by each provider (USD varies by field and degree level) Source✅ | Approximately $3,000–$8,000 per year for many English-medium/international undergraduate tracks at major public universities. Dual-degree arrangements, medicine, and partner-university components can cost more. [ITB] |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | Provider-specific (universities and private language centres publish their own fee lists); typical monthly pricing is quoted in local terms and varies by hours and level (USD equivalent varies) Source✅ | Approximately $180–$210 per month equivalent for a university-based Indonesian-language course, based on UGM INCULS semester tuition spread across a 15–17 week term. [UGM] |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | — | |
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | Turkey | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Türkiye’s education system is built around a centralised national framework, with K–12 overseen by the Ministry of National Education and higher education coordinated by the Council of Higher Education (CoHE / YÖK). Compulsory schooling typically covers ages 6–18, totaling 12 years under the widely referenced 4+4+4 structure. Public education provides broad nationwide access, while private and international schools complement the system—especially in major cities and in international-programme offerings. Learning progress and placement are supported by national assessment and exam mechanisms, including secondary and tertiary placement pathways. International benchmarking is reflected in PISA, where Türkiye participates and reports results across mathematics, reading, and science. In higher education, the system includes a large network of universities and emphasises quality assurance through YÖKAK and performance monitoring initiatives such as the Research Universities evaluation cycle. Recent years highlight steady momentum in digital capacity, international visibility, and data-driven system monitoring, supporting an accessible and continuously developing learning environment. Source✅ | Indonesia has a large, mixed, and decentralized education system. National ministries establish curriculum, quality, and policy frameworks, while provincial and district governments manage much of public-school delivery; the Ministry of Religious Affairs operates the extensive madrasah sector. The standard school structure is 6 years of primary, 3 years of junior secondary, and 3 years of senior secondary education, with both general and vocational pathways. The established compulsory basic-education framework covers ages 7–15, while current policy is moving toward a 13-year model that adds one preschool year and extends participation through senior secondary school. Public schools educate roughly two-thirds of students across primary and secondary levels, alongside a substantial private, foundation, and religious-school sector. Bahasa Indonesia is the principal instructional language, with regional-language support permitted and English education expanding. Higher education includes more than 4,300 institutions across universities, institutes, colleges, polytechnics, and academies. Recent reforms emphasize Kurikulum Merdeka, deeper learning, competency-based assessment, digital learning systems, coding and artificial intelligence options, broader preschool and secondary participation, and preparation for compulsory primary English from 2027/2028. |