Seasonal Agricultural Migration Affects 26,000 Students

October 4, 2026 · Tarım Pusulası

According to Ministry of National Education data, 26,920 students were recorded in seasonal agricultural migration during the 2025-2026 period; the educational losses of children of agricultural workers have been brought to the Parliament's agenda.

According to the Ministry of National Education data, migration movements linked to agricultural production processes are tracked through the e-Okul system. Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin announced that as of the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, a total of 26,920 students were officially recorded as children of seasonal agricultural worker families who experienced mobility. The educational processes of these students are monitored through field screenings conducted within the scope of provincial action plans. Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin made the following statement regarding mobility:

CHP Niğde Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer brought the problems faced by the children of agricultural worker families to the Parliament's agenda, posing five critical questions to the Ministry. In his parliamentary inquiry, Gürer asked for the official numbers of children migrating to agricultural regions and whether a field study is planned to address the deficiencies in Turkish Statistical Institute data. He also requested official data on mobile schools established in agricultural areas, the number of students receiving remedial education, and the status of children forced to drop out of school entirely due to migration.

In the official response from the Ministry of National Education, it was stated that solutions are being produced for the children of mobile and semi-mobile families in line with relevant circulars. Measures such as transferring students to existing local schools, providing transportation education, establishing temporary education units, and assigning mobile teachers are being implemented by provincial and district directorates to ensure students do not fall behind in their studies. However, the text shared by the Ministry did not provide a clear numerical figure on how many mobile schools have actually been established in agricultural fields.

Special course programs are being implemented to address the learning losses incurred by students during the agricultural season. According to Minister Tekin's statement, a total of 72 course modules have been prepared within the scope of the ongoing remedial programs. These educational tools are structured to cater to 9 preschool, 31 primary school, and 32 middle school levels. However, the official response did not include information on how many students benefited from these prepared modules or how many remedial programs were opened in the field.

Evaluating the Ministry's data, CHP Niğde Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer drew attention to the overlap between the agricultural production calendar and the education period:

Addressing housing problems, CHP Niğde Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer described the conditions with the following words:

Relaying his observations from the field, CHP Niğde Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer described the situation of the children as follows:

Wishing for strengthened measures for a permanent solution to the problem, CHP Niğde Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer continued his warning:

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