24.10.2017 Ankara
Speaking at the TOBB Turkey Higher Education Council meeting attended by Higher Education Council (YÖK) Director Dr. Yekta Saraç, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu highlighted the need for Turkey to give more importance to innovation and urged common mind to reach solutions.
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.