CoHE Completes Preparations for First Virtual Fair to be Held for Overseas Promotion of Turkish Universities
July 3, 2020
Prof. M. A. Yekta Saraç, President of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE), announced that “Study in Turkey YÖK Virtual Fair 2020”, the first global virtual fair to be held in the history of higher education to reduce the adverse effects of student mobility restricted during the global coronavirus pandemic and to promote Turkish universities abroad on digital platforms, would be held on July, 20-22.
In his statement, Saraç said that the global COVID-19 pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China, and spread all over the world, had a deep impact on every part of life, notably the field of education. He said that they, as the New CoHE, initiated many student-centered projects by activating the current potential with fast decision-making mechanisms to protect the higher education system from the adverse and destructive effects of the pandemic.
"The number of international students in Turkey, which was 48 thousand five years ago, has reached 180 thousand within the scope of the Target-Oriented Internationalization Project initiated by the New CoHE. We have realized a number of important structural arrangements to ensure that the great progress achieved in the internationalization of the Turkish higher education system in recent years will not be interrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.”
Saraç noted that prospective international students who want to study in Turkey were presented with new opportunities that would be limited to the fall term of the 2020-2021 academic year. He said the opportunities presented to students included the abolition of the international student quota restrictions, pre-enrollment, enrollment opportunity till December 15, 2020, intensive compensation education, resuming studies in the spring term by suspending them in the fall term, and delivery of courses through distance learning for students who cannot return due to the measures related to the pandemic.
He said that these arrangements would encourage universities to accept international students during the global pandemic and emphasized that universities could be involved in the international competition as Turkish higher education continued to be a center of attraction for international students.
- "All eyes will be on Turkish higher education in 142 countries"
CoHE President Saraç stated that the preparations for the first virtual fair, which would be held to reduce the adverse effects of the mobility restricted during the pandemic and to promote Turkish universities abroad on digital platforms, were completed.
He noted that they aimed to draw attention to Turkish higher education in 142 countries, where Turkish diplomatic representatives are present, through virtual fairs to bring young people of higher education age together with universities in a virtual environment, and to inform them of the opportunities to be offered in higher education, including distance learning.
‘Study in Turkey YÖK Virtual Fair 2020', the first virtual fair in the Turkish higher education system, will be held between 20-22 July 2020. It can be accessed between 8.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m. (GMT+3) on www.virtualfair-yok.gov.tr.
- 176 Turkish universities will attend the fair
“176 Turkish universities will open their doors to prospective young people at the fair, which will be held under the umbrella of CoHE and with the initiative and organization of CoHE to attract more international students to the Turkish higher education system, in which nearly 180 thousand international students from 182 countries are studying. We plan to organize the YÖK Virtual Fair in the upcoming years so that it will keep strengthening the status of Turkey as the center of attraction in higher education with each year,” he said.
- Stakeholder institutions and organizations will have their stands at the fair
In addition to universities, the stakeholder organizations that contribute to the internationalization of the Turkish higher education system, such as the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, Turkish Maarif Foundation, Yunus Emre Institution and Turkish National Agency will also have their stands at the virtual fair.