Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education

Türkü Kılavuz; Binali Tunç

doi:10.63612/ijesp.1729679

Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education

Abstract

This study critically analyzes how the Address-Based School Enrollment System, introduced in Türkiye in 2009, reproduces socio-economic inequalities in education. It shows how the discourse of equal opportunity in education creates as a class-based illusion and how school choice is constrained by spatial limitations. The study employed a phenomenological design and draws on semi-structured interviews with 27 parents from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Findings indicate that parents from lower socio-economic backgrounds perceive the system as a source of inequality, injustice, and exclusion. In contrast, parents from higher socio-economic groups tend to view it positively in terms of safety, convenience, and access to services. The system is also frequently circumvented through informal practices such as false address registration and favoritism, resulting in ethically and socially problematic outcomes. Spatially based school enrollment restricts access to quality education along class lines and weakens cultural diversity. Overall, the Address-Based School Enrollment System functions less as a mechanism for ensuring equal opportunity than as a driver of deeper class divisions.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Mersin University, Social Sciences Division (Decision No: 55, Date: 05.03.2024).

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Education Management, Educational Administration, Supervision, Planning and Economics (Other), Education Policy

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Türkü Kılavuz ^*
0000-0003-0578-6607
Türkiye

Binali Tunç
0000-0003-3636-209X
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

September 21, 2025

Publication Date

November 19, 2025

Submission Date

June 30, 2025

Acceptance Date

September 10, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 6 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1729679

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA73SZ89HW

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Kılavuz, T., & Tunç, B. (2025). Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy, 6(2), 360-382. https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1729679

AMA

1.Kılavuz T, Tunç B. Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education. IJESP. 2025;6(2):360-382. doi:10.63612/ijesp.1729679

Chicago

Kılavuz, Türkü, and Binali Tunç. 2025. “Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education”. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy 6 (2): 360-82. https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1729679.

EndNote

Kılavuz T, Tunç B (November 1, 2025) Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy 6 2 360–382.

IEEE

[1]T. Kılavuz and B. Tunç, “Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education”, IJESP, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 360–382, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.63612/ijesp.1729679.

ISNAD

Kılavuz, Türkü - Tunç, Binali. “Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education”. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy 6/2 (November 1, 2025): 360-382. https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1729679.

JAMA

1.Kılavuz T, Tunç B. Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education. IJESP. 2025;6:360–382.

MLA

Kılavuz, Türkü, and Binali Tunç. “Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education”. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy, vol. 6, no. 2, Nov. 2025, pp. 360-82, doi:10.63612/ijesp.1729679.

Vancouver

1.Türkü Kılavuz, Binali Tunç. Address-Based School Enrollment System: A Socio-Economic Discrimination in Education. IJESP. 2025 Nov. 1;6(2):360-82. doi:10.63612/ijesp.1729679