Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they always support vocational education institutions, “Through our chambers and exchanges, we ensure that vocational education is designed in line with the needs of locally dynamic sectors. We work together in 114 schools in 81 provinces.”

TOBB Turkey Education Council Meeting was held at TOBB Twin Towers with the participation of Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Turkey Education Council President Yusuf Ekinci and council members.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said that education is a process that goes from cradle to grave.

Noting that the Covid pandemic is still ongoing, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “With the pandemic, we are experiencing a period in which digitalization is gaining great speed in education as in all areas, and we are adapting ourselves to innovations. At the beginning of the pandemic, we experienced distance education for a while. Then, with the introduction of hybrid models and face-to-face training, we never actually stopped training. Students are our future. There is no other form of education that can replace face-to-face training. I hope that we will never again have to take a break from education for a long time like in the past.”

Pointing out the importance of vocational education, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that a different importance is given to vocational education in the 2023 Vision Document of the Ministry of National Education.

Emphasizing that he considers the design and skills workshops established in many provinces valuable, Hisarcıklıoğlu noted:

“These centers will direct students to their interests while also enabling their professional skills to develop very early. Vocational educational institutions have always been the area supported by TOBB because it is the key to development and contributes to the training of qualified workforce. We do our part with the Vocational Education Cooperation Protocol that we started with the Ministry. Through our chambers and exchanges, we ensure that vocational education is designed locally in line with the needs of dynamic sectors. We work together in 114 schools in 81 provinces. With the support of TOBB University of Economics and Technology, we also train educators.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu, stating that private education institutions experienced difficulties during the pandemic, noted that the sector should be kept afloat in this process.

- Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer

Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer announced that for the first time in Turkey, tomorrow and October 27, 7^th, 8^th, 11^th and 12^th grades will launch an assessment exam to detect learning losses in Turkish, mathematics and science, and approximately 4.5 million students will participate in the application.

Minister Özer attended the TOBB Turkey Education Council Meeting held in the Social Facilities Meeting Room of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).

Pointing out that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, very serious investments have been made in the Turkish education system, Özer explained that there have been significant improvements in this area.

However, as with all other countries' education system, Özer emphasized that the most important breaking point in Turkey is equal opportunity in education.

Özer stated that the suspension of face-to-face education during the Covid-19 process deepened this problem and summarized their work in this process, recalling his remarks on the need to keep schools open after taking over.

Özer stated that Turkey's education system has a total audience of 20 million with approximately 18 million students, 1.2 million teachers and other education employees, adding that “In order for Turkey to normalize the Covid-19 process, the education system needs to be normalized and it needs to be able to continue face-to-face education.”