Council of Higher Education to Collaborate with Presidency for Turks
Abroad and Related Communities and Turkish Maarif Foundation
April 5, 2024 / Ankara
A cooperation protocol was signed among the Council of Higher Education
(CoHE), Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and
Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMF). With the protocol, the three institutions
will cooperate in education, research and development, and university fair
organizations by sharing their experiences and competencies in the national
and international arena.
In his speech at the protocol signing ceremony held at CoHE, CoHE President
Erol Özvar stated that they were working intensively to elevate the higher
education system to a more prestigious position on a global scale and said,
"With this understanding, we strengthen the attributes of our higher
education system, which are primarily focused on quality, competitiveness,
innovation, employment, and value-added production."
Özvar noted that Türkiye placed great importance on science diplomacy in
line with its role as a significant actor in regional and global affairs
and that they had taken steps to enhance international collaborations:
"Today, we are joining forces with YTB and TMV, which operate on a global
scale in line with the common strategic goals of our country. This alliance
will bring a new dynamism to education from abroad to our country and will
enable capacity building. I must emphasize that our cooperation serves as
an exceptional example of coordination and harmony among our institutions
working towards the same strategic goals in the field of education."
"Through the protocol, we have demonstrated a shared commitment towards
mutual support of educational activities, collaboration for the
dissemination of Turkish culture and language, and sharing our experience
and knowledge," Özvar said and added, "The protocol will open a new window
of cooperation in organizing national and international fairs that
contribute significantly to the promotion of universities and in promoting
Türkiye Scholarships, which are of great value in the internationalization
of higher education."
-Cooperation in TR-YÖS is also part of the protocol-
He stated that CoHE had been focusing on the Turkish Foreign Student
Admission Examination (TR-YÖS), making important arrangements, and
emphasized that the establishment of cooperation regarding the exam was
also included in the scope of the protocol.
Özvar noted that in order to attract more qualified international students
to Turkish universities, they increased the number of countries where the
TR-YÖS exam would be held in six languages to 52 and the number of exam
centers to 78.
He said that the support provided by YTB and TMV would be extremely
important in the realization and dissemination of these exams smoothly and
added: "It is important to promote the opportunities offered by Türkiye in
the field of higher education in a wider geography abroad and to raise
awareness of international students about the socio-economic advantages
that higher education in our country will provide for them."
YTB President Abdullah Eren stated that there had recently been undesirable
approaches towards international students and said, "There will be more
comprehensive efforts for this large group of people who come to Türkiye
not only as students, but also make financial contributions to our country,
and maintain their relations with Türkiye after graduation. This protocol
will also contribute to this."
Prof. Birol Akgün, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TMV, pointed out
the importance of managing the increasing number of international student
mobility together and cooperating in this field and said, "I hope we will
create a common synergy here and we will have the opportunity to manage
these processes in a healthy manner. I wish it to be auspicious.
Following the speeches, the "Cooperation Protocol between the Council of
Higher Education, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities and
Turkish Maarif Foundation" was signed by Erol Özvar, President of the
Council of Higher Education, Abdullah Eren, President of YTB, and Prof.
Birol Akgün, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TMV.