Representatives from 16 Turkish universities attended the first day of the global education event organized by the world’s largest association dedicated to international education and exchange (NAFSA) in the United States capital, Washington DC Tuesday.
The Association of International Educators (NAFSA), formerly known as the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers, is holding its 75th Annual Conference & Expo scheduled from May 30 to June 2, 2023, with the theme of "Inspire an Inclusive Future."
Turkish universities from different regions participated in the fair, where the "Study in Türkiye" pavilion was established by the Education Economy Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) with the support of the national carrier Turkish Airlines (THY).
Several public and private universities from Türkiye, including Akdeniz, Marmara, Doğuş, Hasan Kalyoncu, Istanbul Medipol, Istanbul Nışantaşı, Karabük and Üsküdar universities, took part in the expo where they had the opportunity to promote their innovative, inclusive and diverse higher education to international stakeholders and to develop international cooperation.
Professionals involved in this domain, particularly university rectors, managers of international education programs and international office managers, convened at the four-day event.
The fair encompasses a range of activities, including seminars, workshops and meetings focused on various aspects such as emerging trends, obstacles, inventive methodologies and the global expansion of higher education.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA), the President of the Education Economy Business Council professor Irfan Gündüz highlighted the ongoing activities of the council, which continued to work with the participation of over 40 representatives from 16 universities under DEIK since 2011.
He noted that apart from service exports, the income generated from the education sector now stands out as one of the most important revenues for the country.
Gündüz also pointed out that around 310,000 foreign students currently study in Türkiye. "In fact, the target set by our president was 350,000, but I truly believe that we will reach 500,000 students by the end of the year," he added.
Emphasizing the significance of Türkiye’s influence on students who return to their home countries, Gündüz underscored the long-term benefits. These students are not only seen as valuable components of infrastructure but also as potential trading partners who will favor Türkiye in the future, he pointed out.
This recognition further explains Türkiye’s commitment to the education economy and its prioritization of attracting international students.
Pointing out the rising education costs worldwide, Gündüz highlighted the factors such as global logistics difficulties, supply chain disruptions, the energy crisis resulting from the Russia-Ukraine War and inflation. In addition, he touched upon the country’s current economic situation and the country’s success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that countries in the Gulf, the Middle East, the Islamic world, and the Turkish world prefer Türkiye as an education hub over America or Europe.
Professor Naci Gündoğan, a member of the Executive Board of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), separately noted that YÖK attaches great importance to internationalization.
Reiterating the country’s aim to extend the number of international students in the upcoming period, Gündoğan noted that Türkiye had made severe breakthroughs in the field of higher education in recent years, stating the country keeps its doors open to students from all geographies in higher education.
"We can say that especially international students make significant contributions to the Turkish economy, and these contributions will continue in the coming period," he added.
Emphasizing that they think that there will be much more demand from abroad to the country in the upcoming period with the election process left behind, Gündoğan noted that Türkiye has very high-quality universities and that the government accepts students from different fields, from medicine, health, engineering to fine arts and social sciences.
Pointing out that the NAFSA Annual Conference and Fair are important to bring universities together and ensuring the visibility of Türkiye and its universities in the international arena, Gündoğan noted they are working on the protocol and plan on setting up education fairs in the coming period.