Thirty-seven students have died in 9,950 workplace accidents recorded since 2025 in Turkey’s Vocational Education Centers (MESEM) program, according to new government figures, the Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported.
Education Minister Yusuf Tekin disclosed the figures in response to a parliamentary question submitted by Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a lawmaker from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and a human rights defender.
The latest figures appear to contradict data disclosed by the ministry in June, When it said 3,080 workplace accidents involving MESEM students had been recorded since 2016, 13 of them fatal. The Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG), an independent workplace safety watchdog, disputed those figures at the time, saying at least 20 MESEM students had died.
Gergerlioğlu submitted the parliamentary question following the death of 14-year-old Emirhan Sarısu, who was killed while working at a construction site in the Gölcük district of Kocaeli province in July.
The ministry did not count Sarısu among the 37 deaths, saying he had completed eighth grade but died before enrolling in secondary education and therefore was not registered with MESEM when he died.
MESEM is a state-run vocational training program that allows students aged 15 to 18 to attend school one day a week while working four days in businesses for on-the-job training, earning a portion of the minimum wage and receiving insurance coverage. Students typically work in factories, auto repair shops, hair salons and construction sites.
A study published earlier this year found that nearly half of students enrolled in MESEM had suffered at least one workplace accident, while more than half reported working more than 10 hours a day.
The ministry said it had inspected 253,940 businesses by the end of 2024 and terminated agreements with 23,252 that failed to meet requirements. It also said workplace conditions, social security, occupational safety and health were inspected by the Labor and Social Security Ministry.
Labor unions and rights groups have long criticized the program for exposing children to hazardous working conditions while providing businesses with cheap labor. They say weak oversight has left students vulnerable to long hours, workplace accidents and abuse.
