Higher Education Council (YÖK) in Turkey: Sabotage on Rights to Education

Today, as part of this week's series on business, the latest colossal faux pas at the Higher Education Council (YÖK) will leave you wondering why Turkey seems to sabotage itself so fervently. With yet another ridiculous ruling, they are ripping education from the masses of Turkish youth and creating a rift among the very international universities who pay Turkish students each year to attend.

What has YÖK done this time? They set a rule, article 7, which may disqualify thousands of graduates, even from world-class universities, of obtaining an equivalency of their diploma for use in Turkey. In other words, say if you have a degree from Princeton University, it may not be recognized in Turkey if the student took a class not required by their major (e.g., an elective or general education) or that course violates the principles of the Turkish Constitution.

This translates to the returning Turkish student rendered unable to declare they have a bachelors, masters or PhD. You may ask what courses could be so designated. Can you imagine sociology, history or debate classes usurping your right to an equivalency due to attendance in a class on Armenian genocide, the Kurds, headscarf-wearers, or even terrorism? You'd be right!

Well, let's just shoot ourselves in the foot, Mr. Head of YÖK Erdogan Tezic! Stuck on Stupid seems the only way to describe this new law.

Many others have voiced their concern over the past weeks on this issue and no amount of media seems to have any effect on YÖK.

Ihsan Dagi stated the obvious of how strange it is that "a system of higher education that has not produced even a single university in the top 500 universities of the world now wants to set rules for the universities of the world. That goes beyond the imagery of absurdity."

Fatma Disli comments in "Mighty YÖK under Fire" what three popular newspaper writers say about this ruling. Star's Eser Karakas speaks to this law being the "most disastrous development in Turkey's education system of the past two decades." Dr. Karakas should know because while he writes for newspapers, he has been an academician for some 30 years in Turkey.

Bugun's Nuh Gonultas chose to bring attention to the fact that YÖK's "local ideology rather than principles of science rule Turkish universities and they want universities worldwide to act accordingly." Well, I guess he clearly states the obvious, similar to the mullahs dictating what their villagers will think or how to act.

Yes, Virginia, maybe we should also render the professors teaching these courses not real professors and the universities in which they serve as persona non grata.

Interestingly enough, Halil Guven, the rector of Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in Turkish Cyprus, recently spoke about the Turkish Cypriot education concerns related to the Cyprus issue. He chose to use the word "illegal" shedding light on how Turkish Cyprus is still looked upon by the European Union.

Also, as he spoke he may not have known how timely his comments were because YÖK will soon disallow Turkish students from EMU an equivalency of their degree. Now that should be illegal!

Dr. Guven is another academic and leader who thinks well-rounded intellects are required to run the countries, universities and businesses of today. He knows well what a general education combined with a major can do for the mind; yet YÖK's Tezic deems it, well, silly.

Guven speaks of academic freedom, exchange of ideas and the power of knowledge, but I guess that is not what this Higher Education Council (YÖK) wants for their citizens. No, they want more of the same minds which have slowed progress in Turkey for many years and may now do so in the years to come.

EMU may just have the only Turkish rector who can fully persuade Turkey's YÖK to become part of this century of thinking, especially since EMU is the only Turkish university with achievements already recognized by the European University Association as a full member.

So, now that you understand more about what the supposed hallmark of Turkey's education system thinks and enacts, tell me what you think. Click on Comments below this article and weigh in with your opinion.

If you still want to work for the Turkish university system, then the next time I post I will tell you about where to find the institutions who can hire you and what's new on the university horizon.

Comments

[Urs Thyssen]

Pleased to see that someone else is taking the trouble to inform prospective students and teachers of the real situation regarding the universities of North Cyprus and Turkey. Unfortunately, it is not just YOK causing difficulties for Prof Dr Guven, internal bickering within EMU and the TRNC higher education board YODAK is making Halil Bey's postion almost untenable.
MFG
Urs Thyssen.

[Hans A.H.C. de Wit]

As far as I know, the majority of the Turkish students who got a degree abroad, went to USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Italy etc. And I know quite a lot of them, since I went over thousands of resumes.
YOK make them selve ridiculous with this decision. A professor who never wrote a scientific article is not a scientist but a marionet of...

[Bea]

Good point, super hero, I did not think of that. You also gave me another thought too where maybe by setting this rule, they will keep more students in Turkey, and thus the money goes to Turkish institutions versus foreign ones. Thanks for your comments.

[super hero]

it is quite clear that these regulations are to prevent turkish students to go to universities which are believed to teach radical islamism or kurdish nationalism. dont get me wrong, YOK has never been a democratic instution and has to be abolished for the better democracy, but dont be fooled by the pretenders, because such regulations needs to be taken even if there werent a YOK.

think about it, would a turkish employer care if a degree from princeton is valid or not in turkey while hiring someone? the rule aims to discourage turkish citizens go to universities in norhtern iraq, or arabia, or egypt which definetely dont teach democracy.