The Turkish Ministry of National Education has announced that school WhatsApp groups will be replaced by the local national application, (MEB-BiP), for communication between teachers, students, and parents. The app will be officially adopted in all schools starting from the 2025-2026 academic year.
In a statement, the ministry said the move is aimed at strengthening information security and protecting students' privacy, in addition to regulating the educational communication process more securely and effectively.
In a circular sent to schools in 81 provinces, the ministry stressed the need to switch to local applications, confirming that the goal is to “accelerate communication and ensure a safe and coordinated flow of information.” It also explained that periodic reminders will be sent to schools to ensure compliance with this decision.
The MEB-BiP App
The new MEB-BiP app was designed with a local and national infrastructure to ensure data security. The application provides teachers with direct channels to receive announcements and content through the "Teacher Information" service, while enabling parents to follow their children's grades, absences, and exam schedules via the "School Parent Assistant" service.
The ministry affirms that this step will contribute to strengthening the partnership between parents and teachers and provide an official and secure communication channel, away from foreign platforms that do not guarantee sufficient data protection.
Reports indicate that more than 20 million parents and 1.2 million teachers use WhatsApp groups for daily communication regarding student matters. However, the sharing of children's photos and official messages issued by the ministry through these groups has raised widespread concern, amid warnings from experts that this data may be exploited by external parties.
