The Turkish government sharply increased budget allocations to the Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMV) in 2025, with funding rising to TL 6.7 billion ($154.7 million), according to official budget figures, prompting renewed criticism of priorities in public education spending, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Birgün daily.
The foundation, which was established through legislation in the Turkish Parliament in 2016 following a coup attempt on July 15 of that year, was created to take over educational institutions abroad previously affiliated with the faith-based Gülen movement.
Data show that the TMV received TL 422.5 million ($9.7 million) from the education budget in 2019 and TL 684 million ($15.7 million) in 2020. That figure rose to TL 1.7 billion ($39 million) in 2021 and TL 1.8 billion in 2022, before climbing to TL 2.9 billion ($66.9 million) in 2023 and TL 5.7 billion ($131.6 million) in 2024. For 2025, the allocation reached TL 6.7 billion ($154.7 million), marking the highest amount transferred to the foundation since its establishment.
After the coup attempt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expanded a global crackdown on alleged Gülen followers, asking multiple countries to shut down Gülen-affiliated schools and institutions and to detain or extradite teachers, businessmen and their families accused of sympathizing with the movement.
The government accuses the Gülen movement, a worldwide civic initiative inspired by the ideas of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, of orchestrating the failed coup and has designated it a terrorist organization. The movement and Gülen, who died in 2024, have consistently denied any involvement in the putsch or terrorist activity.
Following the coup attempt, Turkish authorities shut down 1,069 privately run schools and 15 universities inside Turkey over alleged links to the movement. Tens of thousands of people were arrested, more than 130,000 public employees were dismissed or suspended, and nearly 3,000 people were sentenced to life imprisonment as part of what critics describe as a sweeping purge carried out under the pretext of an anti-coup campaign.
The TMV has been a central pillar of that policy abroad. According to a 2023 statement by its chairman, Birol Akgün, the foundation has taken over more than 200 schools affiliated with the Gülen movement in 20 countries.
The foundation is now the only organization authorized to open schools overseas on behalf of the Turkish state. It operates institutions at all levels, from preschool to university, and is directly funded and overseen by the Ministry of Education.
The takeover of Gülen-affiliated schools by the foundation has triggered protests by students and parents in several countries where the institutions were previously praised for their academic performance. Many Turkish teachers working at those schools fled their host countries, fearing arrest or extradition to Turkey, and sought refuge in Europe, the United States or Canada.
The growing flow of public funds to the TMV has drawn criticism amid persistent problems in Turkey’s domestic education system, including teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and long waiting lists for teacher appointments due to budget constraints.
Critics also question the scale of overseas spending at a time when the government has promoted austerity measures aimed at curbing inflation and reducing public expenditure.
The Education Ministry’s Foreign Education Directorate has previously raised concerns about overlapping mandates with the foundation. In an official activity report the directorate cited cooperation with the foundation as a structural weakness, recommending clearer separation of responsibilities to ensure more efficient use of public resources.
Despite the criticism, the government continues to defend the foundation as a key instrument of Turkey’s foreign education policy and its campaign against institutions linked to the Gülen movement abroad.
