- New right for university students: Competencies acquired outside campus may count toward graduation credits

- “Our universities must take responsibility for achieving the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye.”

- “Practical training is becoming more widespread at universities, and Denizli could be among the provinces to adopt this model.”

- Özvar calls on young people: “Join the Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics School.”

October 9, 2026

Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE), called on universities to streamline their curricula, reduce the number of courses and place greater emphasis on practical training. Addressing academics, Özvar urged them to take action, saying, “Please streamline these courses. Don’t leave it to us.”

Speaking at Pamukkale University’s 2026-2027 Academic Year Opening Ceremony, Özvar outlined ongoing initiatives and new practices in higher education, delivering important messages to academics and students.

Explaining that students could access course materials from leading universities around the world on their mobile phones and use artificial intelligence to read foreign-language resources in Turkish, Özvar said academics needed to consider what they could offer students in light of these developments.

Emphasizing that faculty members could no longer limit themselves to simply transferring knowledge, Özvar highlighted the importance of sharing their scientific curiosity, experience, character and professional values with students. He said university education should not be confined to classrooms and called for theoretical knowledge to be reinforced through practical application, with teaching methods that enable students to learn by experimenting and producing becoming more widespread.

“The number of courses needs to be reduced”

Recalling that students in some undergraduate programs took 60-70 courses over four years, Özvar said engineering students at leading European universities typically took around 25-30 courses throughout their undergraduate studies. Emphasizing that reducing the number of courses did not mean compromising educational quality or professional competencies, Özvar said, “We need to stop designing courses around individual instructors and start thinking about instructors in relation to the courses themselves. This is what we need.”

Stating that they expected universities to take the lead in streamlining curricula, Özvar said departments and programs needed to review their content.

Reminding participants that CoHE had the authority to introduce regulations in this area, Özvar addressed academics directly, saying, “You need to carry out this work. If you leave it to us, we can do it very easily. As you know, we have the authority.”

Stating that the theoretical and practical hours allocated to courses should not remain merely figures on paper, Özvar called for students’ weekly timetables to be organized according to their actual workloads.

A new era in graduation credits through micro-credentials

Recalling that micro-credentials were among the innovations introduced in higher education this year, Özvar said they had opened the way for knowledge and skills acquired by university students outside campus to be formally recognized.

Referring to the procedures and principles published by CoHE for implementing the initiative, Özvar said, “University students can now have competencies acquired outside campus counted toward their academic transcripts, up to 10 percent.”

Noting that Türkiye was among a small number of countries in the European Higher Education Area to have introduced this innovation, Özvar emphasized the importance of universities completing the necessary preparations.

Free Digital University Platform

Özvar said that the Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics School, launched last year to help young people continue developing their knowledge and skills after graduation, would continue its activities in the new academic year with an expanded range of modules.

Noting that 30,000 people had participated in the program over two semesters last year, Özvar said the initiative was coordinated by CoHE in cooperation with Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University, Marmara University and Yıldız Technical University. He added that the courses were delivered online through live, interactive sessions.

Emphasizing that anyone could apply to the program free of charge, with regular attendance being the only requirement, Özvar invited students and academics to participate in the courses taught by leading faculty members in their respective fields.

Universities urged to take responsibility in the Terror-Free Türkiye process

Stating that universities’ responsibilities extended beyond scientific research and education, Özvar said higher education institutions should also contribute to the country’s social, cultural and economic affairs.

Özvar said the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye, put forward under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was important for the country’s peace, security, national unity and fraternity. He emphasized that the higher education community needed to contribute to this process through its scientific expertise.

“Our higher education community must take responsibility in this important and sensitive process, drawing on its academic experience, scientific knowledge and research capacity,” Özvar said.

Calling on universities to address the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye from different perspectives through panels, conferences, workshops and academic research, Özvar highlighted the importance of sharing the findings and perspectives emerging from these activities with the public. He noted that such initiatives would raise awareness of the issue among young people and different segments of society, and urged academics to give the matter particular attention.

Work-Based Vocational Education could be introduced in Denizli

Stating that a practice-oriented transformation was under way in vocational education, Özvar said the Work-Based Vocational Education model had been launched in pilot provinces.

He explained that the aim was for associate degree students to spend at least one of their four semesters in a workplace. He added that, wherever possible, one or two semesters of undergraduate programs should also be devoted to practical training.

Expressing his hope that Denizli could join the initiative in the future, Özvar noted that education delivered in close cooperation with industry helped improve graduates’ employment prospects.

Özvar also reiterated that the Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics School had provided training to around 30,000 participants last year and invited students and academics to join the free online program.

Recalling that Palestinian students who had been unable to continue their education in Gaza were allowed to study in Türkiye with tuition fee exemptions, Özvar said support was also being provided to Palestinian academics and doctors who had been unable to undertake specialist training. He added that faculty members and students from three universities in Sudan were continuing their educational and teaching activities at three universities in Türkiye.

Children from the Children’s University welcome Özvar with flowers

Children participating in Pamukkale University’s Children’s University welcomed CoHE President Erol Özvar as he arrived at the venue for the academic year opening ceremony. They presented him with flowers they had made themselves.

Özvar toured the exhibition stands showcasing the university’s scientific work, examined projects developed by students, received information about their work and chatted with the students. He was also greeted at the exhibition area by a robot named Orbit, which wished the CoHE President success in his work.

Following the academic year opening ceremony, Özvar chaired a meeting of Pamukkale University’s Senate.