Doğa Schools
Doğa Schools are a chain of private schools in Turkey, largely owned by the investment fund, Turkven.[1]
| Doğa Schools | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, coeducational, |
| Established | 2004 |
| Number of students | 60,000 |
| Color(s) | Orange and green |
| Website | http://www.dogakoleji.com/eng/ |
There are nearly 100 schools in the chain, over 20 of which are in Istanbul. The group has a declared ambition to own 106 schools and educate 70,000 students by 2015.
History
Doğa means "nature" in Turkish and the first Doğa School was opened in 2002 in Beykoz, a forested area on the northeastern outskirts of Istanbul.[2] The founders, led by former chemistry teacher, Fethi Şimsek, has made his values for democracy, freedom clear and persistent in all of the Doğa Schools’ campuses. By demonstrating his beliefs in living in a democratic environment, he has ensured Doğa’s foundations lay in the foundations of democracy. It is due to these values that Doğa has seen continuous growth since its founding. Mr. Simsek’s innovation and sustainable quality approach along with always providing the necessary means for his professional team and employees has aided and resulted in remarkable success at Doğa Schools.
Mr. Simsek had a background in running chains of preparatory schools for high school and university entrance exams, and English Time, a chain of English language courses. Known for their active marketing strategies, the group has expanded first in Istanbul and then throughout Turkey to become the leading chain in Turkey.[3] Doğa were also the first school in Turkey to include Chinese in the curriculum.
Mr. Simsek’s biggest supporter is the CEO of Doğa Schools, Ugur Gazanker, who has maintained his position as CEO since the company was founded. Mr. Gazanker is admired as a great inspiration and a role model to all employees at Doğa Schools. Gazanker’s enthusiasm, dynamism and innovative vision are a big driving force for everyone at Doğa.
In the school years of 2018-2019, the teachers that worked in several different Doğa Schools campuses voiced displeasure, along with some protests and work strikes. This discontentment was caused by the upper management having delayed paying the teachers' salaries for amounts of time varying from one month to up to five. The ownership at the time had mismanaged the finances of the company and no longer had the money to keep the schools running. For this reason, in the year 2018 (exact date unknown due to the secretive nature of the deal), Istanbul Technical University bought the school chain for 12 million Turkish Liras (1.626,3689 USD at the time). The school chain would later include the Istanbul Technical University ownership status in it's advertising.