21 International Journal on Lifelong Education and Leadership (2015), 1(1) The Situation of Lifelong Education in Turkey* Alaattin GÜLMEZ 1 , Osman TİTREK 2, M. Ali ÖZKORKMAZ 3 1 School Principles in Hendek - alaattingulmaz77@hotmail.com 2 Assoc. Prof. - otitrek@sakarya.edu.tr 3 Teacher, Ministry of National Education - maliozk@hotmail.com *This paper presented at “1st International Conference on Lifelong Education and Leadership for ALL-ICLEL2015”. Abstract The life of individual’s after formal education, to acquire the knowledge and skills that our time require for the people who didn’t get the formal education can be possible through non-formal education. Therefore, the importance of non-formal education has begun more and more important recently. The aim of this research is to examine the condition of public education centers, to identify the problems and find solutions to them. In this research, priority, the conditions of public education centers have been identified. Also, the structures of the courses and trainees and their distribution across the country, the courses and their features, the features of the trainers who have worked in these courses have been analyzed. Secondly; the problems of public education and the issue of how can these problems be solved emphasized. Keywords: Non Formal Education, Public Education, Adult Education 1. Introduction There are two dynamics which affect a country’s development: These are education and economics. Whether to achieve it or not depends on the effect of these two dynamics back each other up. It has become an inevitable necessity to gain and maintain the necessary qualifications of economics not only at a definite time but also to renovate the power of humans. In this context; the most appropriate institutions that complement existing applications are the formal education institutions. Whether non formal education is in a developed country or in a developing country it is still an important issue to achieve better life standards. Because one of the most important dynamic of development is change and progress is the well trained manpower. But, it is sometimes impossible to educate the people. Today; it seems impossible to solve the problems of changing social and individual needs of the people with the current Turkish education system. (formal and non-formal education)The new studies which will be conducted in the field of education especially vocational social and technical are vital (Özoğul, 2003). Non formal education can’t maintain development and progress functionally. The thing that develops and solve to problems is analytical thinking individually. The analytical thinking person is someone has been educated according to his/her affective and cognitive abilities. Non -formal education is a program which complements the requirements of the formal training it supports the interests and skills of the people. Our era is an era of change and the rapid development of science and technology invalidate the information that is given in formal education institutions in a short time. To renew the profession for various reasons, to gain new profession, to complete the deficiencies of formal education, to evaluate leisure time in old age, to gain the behavior required for progress increase the need for non-formal education (Fidan, 1996). In this study the conditions of public education centers, opened courses, numerical data of the courses, distribution across the country, the structure of the staff in public education centers , the education level of the trainees are emphasized and tried to find solutions to them. 1.1. The Concepts Related to the Subject Non formal education is a wide subject. There are some words which are used as synonyms but have different meanings. Therefore, in order not to create chaos, the concepts have been analyzed one by one. Non formal education covers everything that is organized within the formal education. There isn’t an age limit in non-formal education. It can be done for any age. (child, young, adult etc.) (Fidan and Erdem, 1991). Another definition of non-formal education is that it is an education given for the people who did not take any facilities of formal education or for those who had to leave school of for those who are going