CoHE Continues International Collaborations in Higher Education
April 9, 2025 / Istanbul
The first Türkiye-Malaysia Higher Education Joint Committee Meeting was
held in Istanbul with the participation of Erol Özvar, President of the
Council of Higher Education and Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, Minister of Higher
Education of Malaysia.
In his speech at the meeting, CoHE President Özvar stated that the meeting
was organized for the first time this year in order to develop cooperation
between Türkiye and Malaysia in the field of higher education.
Özvar stated that during the official visit of President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan to Malaysia last February, the meeting was held to discuss issues
related to bilateral cooperation. Özvar said, “We are pleased to observe
that Türkiye and Malaysia have expanded their cooperation in all fields,
especially in the defense industry, science and technology in recent years.
Universities of both countries play critical roles in this process.”
Emphasizing that the Council of Higher Education encourages universities to
develop concrete projects based on mutual interest with their international
counterparts, Özvar said, “Our global academic strategy includes both
competition and cooperation. Without these two foundations, we cannot think
that the academic world and scientific development are fully realized.”
Pointing out that new technologies, changing social expectations and
differentiating economic conditions have led to significant transformations
in higher education, Özvar said, “We expect our universities not only to
provide academic knowledge but also to create social impact, adopt digital
innovations and effectively carry out international collaborations.”
Özvar said that Türkiye has extensive experience in Erasmus exchange
programs as part of the European Higher Education Area and added, “We will
encourage our institutions to evaluate staff and student mobility practices
under Erasmus+ programs to strengthen academic and cultural exchange.”
“We are ready to explore the exchange of scholarships at undergraduate and
graduate level in the fields of technology, technical and vocational
education, mathematics and science through the Turkey International
Exchange Scholarship Program (TIES Program). We will encourage our
universities to increase the number of joint diploma programs.”
Emphasizing that internationalization is a fundamental element among the
goals of higher education, Özvar stressed that they constantly encourage
universities to increase their international visibility.
He concluded by expressing his belief that the work of the Joint Committee
will strengthen cooperation and contribute to academic progress through
concrete research projects.
Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia, stated that
they have signed an important and memorable work and said, “Our aim is to
improve the education of higher education administrators through faculty
and student exchange. Malaysian students love Türkiye very much that they
receive education here.”
CoHE Executive Board Member Prof. Naci Gündoğan made presentations on
“Introduction to the Turkish Higher Education System”, Prof. Ahmet
Yozgatlıgil, Rector of METU, “Research Oriented Universities and Innovation
Leadership in Türkiye”, Prof. Hacı Ali Mantar, Rector of Gebze Technical
University, “International Academic Cooperation between Turkish and
Malaysian Universities”, and Prof. Hasan Mandal, Rector of ITU,
“Cooperation Based on Co-Creation in the Turkish R&D and Innovation
Ecosystem”.
Following the meeting, memoranda of understanding were signed between
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Ondokuz Mayıs University and
Istanbul Gedik University, and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Kocaeli
University and Hacettepe University.
CoHE President Özvar met with Prof. Sorin Mihai Cîmpeanu, President of the
National Council of Rectors of Romania, and the accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, the possible ways to increase cooperation between
Türkiye and Romania in the field of higher education were discussed. It was
evaluated to sign and implement more cooperation protocols between the
universities of the two countries, to encourage the establishment of joint
education and training programs in mutually determined fields, and to
strengthen the existing academic relations by coming together more in the
future.
The Romanian National Council of Rectors, which has a very important role
in promoting quality in all areas of Romanian higher education, including
curriculum, academic staff and organization of each university, has 82
member universities.