Transformation in public administration post 1980 and reform efforts of the Ministry of National Education

The aim of this study is to present the changes occurring in the Turkish education system within the framework of the transformation in the public administration after 1980 and to determine whether these changes are equal to a transformation or reform. The changes in education have been evaluated through the examination of surveys, interviews and newspaper archives in addition to various legal and administrative arrangements. The study is of paramount importance since it addresses the relation between public administration and education and reveals the opinions of different actors through methods such as the examination of surveys, interviews and newspaper archives. Economic crises breaking out in the 1970s led to the implementation of new rules and principles in the economic policies, political systems and also public administration structures throughout the world in the 1980s. With the influence of globalisation and international organisations along with these new political and economic principles, the public administrations underwent a "transformation" by going beyond the "reform" period which was a concept used for the changes prior to 1980. As the subsystem of the public administration, education systems were affected by similar concepts and entered into a restructuring process in the world, as well. In the Turkish public administration, the transformation efforts, which started in the 1980s concurrently with the world and gained impetus with the Özal Government, slowed down in the 1990s and gained a new impetus as of 2002. Various works were carried out in this field in the first years of the AK Party rule since AK Party came to power as the single party and adopted transformation policies ideologically, but the expected transformation could not be achieved. What was done in the field of education could not lead to a transformation and did not contribute to the solution of the existing problems and did not go beyond reform attempts. On the other hand, considering the existing problems in education and solution proposals, it is clear that these problems cannot be eliminated completely with the implementation of these concepts. Thus, the prescription presented for transformation in general and education specifically partially contributes to the treatment of the disease but cannot eliminate the problems. The transformation in education is only possible through addressing the education with a participatory and democratic understanding. Keywords Transformation in public administration, post-1980 public administration, new public management, neoliberal policies, Turkish education system, education reforms, neoliberal education policies, post-1980 public administration, education policy actors.