1. OZDEMIR P.1
SOLUTIONS TO A BIG EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM OF OUR COUNTRY
Have you ever seen a developed country which has so much important educational
problem? I know, you think that ‘’No’’. The education is the basic thing in a country that
determines whether the country is developed or undeveloped. If a country has serious
problems in educational system, it is impossible to wait any progress also in the other systems
of the country. For many years, our country face with a really crucial educational problem
about ‘’the university entrance exam’’. There have been many discussions whether the
implementation of the exam should be stop or not as it has the bad effects on students. But
nowadays, the problem is being discussed more in the media because of the pursuit of
solutions about it. Effective solutions have to be found out to this increasing problem;
otherwise teenagers will go on having intensive psychological problems and selection of
students to the universities unjustly will go on like today’s conditions.
University entrance exam is an important problem in our country for many years. Although
the students, the families, the teachers are both complain about the system, they don’t think
about a feasible problem so much or don’t struggle enough for changing the system. If the
result of the exam is determined by 3-hour-exam, most of the students feels stressed during
the exam and they can’t answer even the simplest questions although they know how to
answer. During the exam preparation, large amount of students use anti-depression drugs,
some of them commit suicide in different ways because of the exam fear. The psychologists
says that the students being under stress in their bachelorhood period will have more serious
psychological problems in the future. So the new generation ill have important health and
psychological problems. And the other discussion issue is that the exam is just three hour and
this period is not enough to choose the successful and the unsuccessful students. The system
is unjust. The most successful students can fail in the exam because of health problems or
excitement. And the other thing is that almost all students go to courses for preparation and
large amount of money has been spent to these courses each year. So what can be done to
correct the mistakes of the system? In my opinion, there are three alternatives to this problem
and these are to stop the implementation of the exam completely, increasing the number of
exams to choose students and the last one is that to determine the student’s ability in first
years of education and to direct the student to suitable fields throughout the education process.

2. OZDEMIR p.2
The first possible solution is to stop the implementation of the exam completely. It means
that the students are taken to the universities without any exam. But in this solution how will
the students be chosen? The answer is school grades. I think, the grades from secondary
school and the high school are enough to decide that the student is successful or unsuccessful.
Because the success is not a temporary thing, it takes time and the process will determine if
someone is successful or not. With the average of grades, students can choose university
departments. With this way, students’ stress and depression problems can be prevented and
the students have to give more importance to the school lessons. They don’t have to go any
other courses so much. To study their school lessons regularly and to balance their studying
will be beneficial for students. In fact this is not a bad solution, but it isn’t enough and it is
hard to use in today’s conditions of our country. Because entering the universities without
exam is a revolution and our country is not ready for this. Maybe after twenty five years, it
can be done. But now, millions of students enter universities in our country each year. It is
hard to choose them with just school grades. And maybe some teachers can give high grades
more than the student get actually. With this, the big problems can arise people may try to
give bribe to the teachers. So, for using this solution necessary precautions should be taken. If
it can be used correctly, it will be beneficial for students. But as I said before, this solution is
not feasible in today’s conditions.
The second possible solution is to increase the number of exams to choose the students to
go to the university departments. So many student complain about the 3-hour-exam and they
say that they get stressed and can’t answer the questions with excitement in a short time and
also they say that there isn’t any compensation. One more year, they have to study for the
exam. So this solution is an answer to these complaints. With this solution, throughout the
high school, each year there will be exams at the end of the each term about the school
lessons. In conclusion, students will take eight exams and the average of these exams’ results
will determine which university the student will go. It happens in a process and has so many
benefits. Students give importance to the school lessons. If one exam result is bad, the student
can compensate it in another good result. And the fails because of excitements can be
diminished. But it is not an efficient solution because it has some negative effects also. If the
exam is done each year, the students will be stressed each year and they will go to the extra
courses. The feeling of ambition, passion, rivalry can affect the students’ psychology in
another way. They always carry on the feeling of responsibility on them. And in their teenage
period , students should do sports, take time to other social activities, group works, cultural
activities and spare some free time for themselves. But if each term, they have to take an
exam , they can take so little time to other social activities. And it affects badly their personal
development. They can feel themselves like a racing horse. And the number of teenagers to
commit suicide can increase. Some unsuccessful students can feel introverted in this racing
period. So this solution isn’t feasible. I think it won’t work properly in our country.

3. OZDEMIR p.3
In my opinion, the best solution is to determine the student’s ability in first years of education
and to direct the student to suitable field throughout the education process. This solution
works like this; In elementary school students learn basic things and during these five years,
students are tested by some special tests and their level of intelligence, ability in sports, arts,
music, verbal lessons, numerical lessons are assessed by the general council of all the
student’s teacher. After assessing the results and after taking the students’ opinion also, the
council decide on the students’ most successful fields. Brewster, Ellis and Girard(2002)
suggested that we understand our pupils’ need better, we are better to able to control our
pupils, we become more self-confident and become more effective teachers.(p.269) .Then the
students are directed to the schools that are special for their abilities. For example, If a student
isn’t efficient in academic lessons but has the capacity in handwork, the student is directed to
the schools that develop professional knowledge. And another student has the ability in music
and he/she wants to make a career in this field then the student is directed to the musical
schools. And if a student wants to change his/her field, in some conditions and after some
efficiency tests it can be changed. I think that this is the best solution in educational process.
In my opinion, if necessary conditions are provided, this solution will work in a long term and
the students having special abilities can develop themselves and make career. Because
everybody should be aware of the fact that there is no rule that everybody will be successful
in Mathematics or in English lessons. Each person has different talents and abilities. The
students not having academic success can develop themselves in other professional fields.
And they take the university entrance exam with the students in their field. So the rivalry and
the population of rivals are diminished. Everybody enters the exam in their own field. The
psychological problems are generally prevented and the students are directed to their favorite
area. The failures about stress and excitement, and the need for extra courses can be
diminished also. So this alternative is the most effective one. It effects in a long term are
much more than the other alternatives. And the implementation is not difficult. It is not like an
revolution. Our country already have different kinds of schools that develops different skills.
Thus, I think this is a feasible solution.
In order to develop our country, firstly we should take necessary precautions immediately
and create a solution to the university entrance exam. There are some solutions. To stop the
implementation of the exam, increasing the number of exams to choose students and to
determine the students’ ability in the first years of education and to direct the student to
suitable fields throughout the education are the three of them. The latter one is the most
effective solution because of the positive effects on students than the others. Each country
should give so much importance to the education and should provide enough education
opportunities to its citizens. Each student should be aware of his/her abilities and implement
them in the life and defend his/her rights against the system in important country issues such

4. OZDEMIR p.4
as education. Everyone has a right to reveal his/her rights and struggle for different opinions
of course in legal ways.
REFERANCES
1. Brewster,J.,Ellis,G.,Girard,D.(2002).The Primary English Teacher’s Guide.China:Pearson
Education Limited