It was decided during the Competition Board meeting dated 10.12.2010 that a preliminary inquiry shall be conducted in order to determine whether the private schools operating in Turkey infringe the Act No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition through their practices of salary, school fee and personnel policies.  Within the scope of the preliminary inquiry, which was initiated ex-officio, on-the-spot examinations were carried out at certain private schools, and around the same time, the Turkish media covered some unwarranted news and comments regarding these on-the-spot examinations.
 
Unlike what is suggested by these news and comments to the public, the private schools at which to carry out on-the-spot examinations were determined in accordance with objective criteria. Within this framework, for those on-the-spot examinations carried out in Istanbul, the schools whose administrators took roles in the boards of directors, auditing and honor of the Association of Turkish Private Schools Union, were taken as the basis. As concerns Ankara, on-the-spot examinations were conducted at schools selected through sampling because the Ankara Association of Private Schools ceased its operation two years ago.
 
The schools and associations of undertakings where the said examinations were carried out are as follows:
 
1. Association of Turkish Private Schools Union
2.Yüzyıl Işıl Eğitim Kurumları
3.Özel Kültür Koleji
4.Oğuzkaan Okulları
5.Doğan Özel Eğitim Tesisleri Limited Şirketi (Özel Doğan Koleji)
6.Gözaçan Kültür Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi (Özel Doğuş Okulları)
7.Özel Surp Haç Ermeni Lisesi
8.Vehbi Koç Vakfı Koç Özel İlköğretim Okulu ve Lisesi İktisadi İşletmesi (Koç Eğitim Kurumları)
9.Tavyapsan Tavukçuoğlu Yapı Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (Özel Atacan Okulları)
10.Asist Öğretim Kurumları Anonim Şirketi (Özel Doğa Kolejleri)
11.Eyüpoğlu Eğitim Kurumları Anonim Şirketi
12.İstek İstanbul Eğitim Hizmetleri Anonim Şirketi
13.Özel Robert Koleji
14.Özel İlk Akasya Eğitim ve Öğretim Kurumları Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi
15.Özel Balkanlar Eğitim Kurumları Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi
16.Fevziye Mektepleri Vakıf Işık Okulları İktisadi İşletmesi
17.Özel Yıldız Eğitim Kurumları Emine Nafia Kuzucu
18.Bilim Eğitim ve Öğretim Anonim Şirketi
19.Özel Arı Eğitim ve Öğretim Tesisleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
20.Başkent Üniversitesi Özel ilk ve Ortaöğretim Kurumları Ticaret ve Sanayi Anonim Şirketi (Ayşe Abla Koleji)
21.Türk Eğitim Derneği Ankara Koleji Vakfı (TED Ankara Koleji)
22.Yüce Özel Eğitim ve Kültürel Hizmetler Anonim Şirketi (Özel Yüce Okulları)
23.Maya Özel Okulları
24.Büyük Kolej
25.Gürışık Eğitim Hizmetleri Anonim Şirketi (Özel Aykan Koleji)
26.Jale Tezer Koleji
27.Özel Sevgi Koleji
28.Özel Fatoş Abla Koleji
29.Başkent Eğitim Yayın ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi(Samanyolu Eğitim Kurumları)
30.Meltem Eğitim ve Sağlık İşl. Gıda ve İhtiyaç Mad. San. Tic. A.Ş. (Özel Meltem Koleji)
31.Ankara Hayat Eğitim Kurumları Tic. Ltd. Şti.
32.Özel Yükselen Koleji Taşımacılık Eğitim Temizlik İnşaat Turizm San. Ltd. Şti. (Yükselen Koleji)

The decision taken during the Competition Board meeting on 03.03.2011, as a result of the preliminary inquiry carried out, is as follows:

As a result of the examination conducted in order to determine whether the private schools operating in Turkey and the associations of undertakings that are formed by the uniting of these schools infringed Article 4 of the Act No. 4054 through agreements, concerted practices and the decisions of associations of undertakings in relation to salary and staff policy, it has been decided that;
 
1.
a) the fact that the foundation schools operating in Istanbul held meetings in April 2001 and thus discussed and exchanged information regarding school fees, scholarships and salaries for the school year 2001-2002 can be deemed as infringement of Article 4 of the Act No. 4054,
 
b) however, the said infringement became time barred and thus there is no need for opening an investigation under Article 41 of the Act No. 4054,
 
2.
a) the fact that the officials of the private schools operating in the relevant market discussed and exchanged information regarding price policies during the meetings held under the aegis of the Association of Turkish Private Schools Union and Ankara Association of Private Schools, can be deemed as infringement of Article 4 of the Act No. 4054,
 
b) furthermore, some provisions under the headings “Work Environment, Employees, Teacher Recruitment” and “Student Recruitment” of the “Principles of Private Schools” as determined by the Association of Turkish Private Schools Union, can be deemed within the scope of anticompetitive association of undertaking decisions under Article 4 of the Act No. 4054,
 
c) there is no need to open an investigation under Article 41 of the Act No. 4054 concerning the said infringements,
 
b) however, the Office of Presidency shall be commissioned to send an opinion to

-   Ankara Provincial Directorate of National Education for the notification of the private schools operating in Ankara,
-    Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education for the notification of the private schools operating in Istanbul, and to
-    the Association of Turkish Private Schools Union,

in accordance with Article 9 paragraph three of the Act No. 4054 to the effect that the said infringements shall be ceased, otherwise proceedings will be initiated under the Act No. 4054.

Kindly submitted for public notice.