THE IMPACT INFLUENCE OF INCOME DISTRIBUTION ON EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: PRIVATE UNIVERSITY REALITY IN TURKEY

Today, one of the most important barriers to equal opportunities in education is economic conditions. Although equal opportunity principle is provided in Turkish law, the fact that economic conditions do not allow all the citizens to take equal education is a factor preventing equal opportunities in education. It is possible to say that economic conditions preventingequal opportunities become more important in university education process. It draws attentionthat although the private universities’ have higher fees, they have lower scores for departmentscompared to those of state universities. With the analyses made in this study, the students enrolledat Kastamonu University Kastamonu Vocational High School were investigated in terms of thefollowing variables. The results of the study indicated that most of these students come fromlow-income families at poverty level and the scores they got in the university entrance examwere sufficient to enter a department of a private university. The most important reason whythey study in a vocational high school instead of a private university is insufficient economicconditions. This situation indicates that economic conditions prevent equal opportunities ineducation.