The ‘2024-2025 Academic Year Opening Ceremony,’ organized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), was held on 8 October 2024 at the Presidential Complex Beştepe National Congress and Culture Centre with the presence of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.On behalf of our University, our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Prof. Dr. Orhan Kandemir, the faculty members of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaan Işınkaralar and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oğuzhan Yavuz Bayraktar, and our students Ali Kurt, Döndü Demirel, Mehmet Yavaş, and Sefa Yıldız attended the ceremony.The ceremony started with the screening of the promotional film prepared by YÖK.
Higher Education Council (YÖK) President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar shared information about the development and future of the higher education system in his opening speech. Özvar drew attention to the human tragedy in Gaza and emphasized that this situation affects not only the people living there but also the whole of humanity. He stated that Turkey opened its doors to international academics in this process and adopted a peaceful approach.Touching upon the importance of artificial intelligence in developing the higher education system, Özvar stated that YÖK plans to open new programs in this field. Although Turkey stands out in Europe, especially in the number of master's and doctoral graduates, Özvar emphasized that employment and lifelong learning goals are directly related to higher education programs. He stated that they will continue to work on developing new programs by increasing cooperation with industry and public sectors.At the end of his speech, Özvar stated that the policies they follow in higher education aim to provide added value in scientific knowledge production and employment, thanked the participants, and wished the 2024-2025 academic year to be auspicious.
After YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered his speech at the ceremony.Addressing the administrators of higher education institutions and universities, professors, and students, Erdoğan expressed his great pleasure in welcoming the university community to the Presidential Complex. He wished the new academic year to be auspicious for universities as centers of science and research.Congratulating the 2024 Outstanding Achievement Awards to be presented to scientists and universities, Erdoğan wished success to professors and students throughout the academic year. Emphasizing the thousand-year history of civilization in Anatolia, he stated that the ancestors shed light on every period of history with their educational institutions and guided science, reason, and technology.
Referring to the developments in Turkey's higher education system, Erdoğan stated that the number of higher education institutions increased from 76 in 2002 to 208 as of 2024 and the number of students increased from 2 million to over 7 million. He stated that universities were opened in 81 provinces and that the higher education budget has shown a great increase.Emphasizing that the ratio of female academic staff is above the OECD average, Erdoğan stated that Turkey has risen from 29th to 17th place in scientific publications. Stating that their goal is for Turkish universities to enter the top 10 in scientific publications, Erdoğan said that he expects young people and universities to increase their technological and scientific contributions.Referring to the increase in the number of international students in Turkey, Erdoğan stated that the number of international students, which was 16 thousand in 2002, exceeded 340 thousand this year. He also emphasized reforms such as abolishing tuition fees in education, increasing the capacity of university dormitories, and ending ideological pressures in universities.
President Erdoğan concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of maintaining and improving Turkey's peaceful environment and wished the academic year 2024-2025 to be auspicious and wished success to academics and students.The program ended with the presentation of awards to the academicians and universities who were entitled to receive awards within the scope of ‘YÖK 2024 Outstanding Achievement Awards’ given by YÖK.
