Turkey Bars Parents From Entering Schools Without Permission, Sets New Teacher Dress Code

ANKARA — Turkey's Ministry of National Education has introduced two separate rule changes affecting daily school life this year: parents will no longer be able to enter school buildings without explicit permission, and teachers will be required to follow a new standardized dress code.

The parental-access rule is aimed at tightening school security and reducing disruption to classes and administrative work — a response to what officials describe as a pattern of parents entering buildings freely to raise concerns or requests during the school day, sometimes without prior arrangement. The new dress-code requirement for teachers, meanwhile, standardizes professional appearance expectations across public schools, following a broader trend of Turkish education policy focusing on formalizing day-to-day school procedures this year.

Neither change has drawn major public controversy so far, though parent groups in some regions have asked for clearer guidance on how to schedule legitimate school visits under the new access rules before the school year begins in earnest.