Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the meeting opened by Parliament Speaker Bekir Okan, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that higher education has a distinctive significance in our culture and said, “We have a belief that 'we must seek knowledge even if it is on the other side of the world.’ We must take what is good and beneficial in the name of science. We must continue our journey of knowledge without any complications.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that Turkey has very significant potential with a population of over 7.5 million students. “We are the third country with the most students after Germany and Russia. Even this figure is enough to see that the future of Turkey is bright.”

Pointing out that they have to be among the most innovative universities, the TOBB President said, “It won’t do to sell 470 kilos of products to buy 150 grams. We have to innovate. We must reverse brain drain. Half of the Nobel laureates in the United States were born outside the country. Our investments in education have increased significantly in recent years. This is very promising. We must find the right way in common wisdom.”

- YÖK President Prof. Dr. Yekta Saraç

YÖK President Prof. Dr. Yekta Saraç also made a presentation about the goals in higher education at the meeting. Saraç gave information about the new university examination system. Referring to the right ratio between the number of graduates and the number of employment, Saraç explained that they are doing important work in quality and vertical growth in higher education in Turkey. Saraç, pointing to mission differentiation and specialization, also expressed that they want to enlarge the doctoral pool.

Bekir Okan, TOBB Turkey Higher Education Council Chairman, pointed out the problems of the students who could not be placed into vacant programs. Okan noted that universities in higher education provided important contributions.