A regulation on documents and standards, published in the Official Gazette last July, requires public institutions to define standards and procedures for every single service they provide and to publish these on their Web sites and notice boards so they are easily accessible to anyone who needs them. With the new regulation, the government expects to simplify public services, increase productivity and reduce costs.
Speaking to the Anatolia new agency on Monday, a government official said this was the first time that public institutions have adopted standards in Turkey and the new system could help public institutions throughout the country maintain the same level of productivity. “Residents of each province will be able to benefit from public services with the same standards,” the official explained.
Institutions were given six months to finalize their preparations before the regulation went fully into effect.
Under the new regulation, people will also be informed if the service they have requested will take longer than promised by a public institution. They will also have the opportunity to appeal to the institution for information concerning the delay. The responsible officials would then be warned in case they fall behind in their duties.
Most public institutions, including the Social Security Institution (SGK), the Ministry of Education, police departments and the Revenue Administration (GİB) have recently published their service standards. Among these standards, the Ministry of Education, for instance, promises to finalize the enrollment of a student in a primary school in one day. Registry correction services will take up to a month to complete at the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. In another standard application, it will take only 15 minutes to apply for services at the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre.
