Problems encountered in access to education through transportation: The case of Yüksekova (Hakkâri)

The main purpose of this study is to examine the problems encountered in the transportation-based education system. Transportation-based education is implemented to ensure students' access to schooling in rural areas due to scattered settlement patterns, difficult climatic conditions, and geographical barriers. However, various structural and practical problems are encountered in the functioning of the system. The research was structured based on the descriptive survey model. This model makes it possible to systematically present the current situation and to examine the problems of the transportation-based education system in a multidimensional way. The study population consists of students enrolled in hight schools where the transportation-based education system is implemented in the Yüksekova district of Hakkâri province as of 2025, along with the administrators working in these schools. In selecting the sample, schools were chosen that both implement the system effectively and represent the region in terms of its geographical and socio-economic conditions. This approach aims to examine the problems of the transportation-based education system in a comprehensive and holistic manner from the perspectives of different stakeholders. For data collection, questionnaires developed by the researcher were used, which included participants' socio-demographic characteristics as well as their experiences and opinions regarding transportation-based education. The data were collected in 2015 through face-to-face interviews conducted by the researcher. The findings of the study revealed various problems encountered in the implementation of the transportation-based education system. Among these problems are transportation safety, logistical shortcomings, economic constraints, communication gaps, geographical challenges, and the negative impact of all these factors on academic achievement. Based on the collected data, several recommendations were developed at both the policy and implementation levels to make the transportation-based education system more functional and sustainable. Keywords: education, transportation, transportation-based education, hight school.