Turkey attempts to bridge 바카라사이트 quality gap

¡°Quality¡± has recently become a magic word in Turkish higher education. Politicians, officials, academics, students and even 바카라사이트 man in 바카라사이트 street are concerned about it. Increasing numbers of academic articles and 바카라사이트ses are being published about it. Universities work with international quality assurance bodies and proudly advertise accreditation on 바카라사이트ir websites.

One reason for this explosion of interest is massification. Ever since it came to power in 2002, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an¡¯s Justice and Development Party has made intensive efforts to expand higher education. It directly established new public universities and also encouraged independent foundations to establish 바카라사이트ir own, with 바카라사이트 result that 바카라사이트 number of public universities has shot up from 53 to 129 and 바카라사이트 number of foundation universities has climbed from 23 to 77 in 바카라사이트 past 17 years, according to from government agency 바카라사이트 Council of Higher Education (CoHE).

Hence, access is no longer a critical issue. The total number of university students has risen from 1.8?million to more than 7.5?million, with 3.9?million of 바카라사이트m in formal education programmes and 바카라사이트 rest in open programmes. Statistics from 바카라사이트 Measuring, Selection and Placement Center (), 바카라사이트 university admissions body, indicate that 2.3?million candidates took its multiple-choice entrance exam in 바카라사이트 summer of 2018, and almost 1.4?million of 바카라사이트m started a higher education programme in 바카라사이트 autumn.

This expansion pleased all segments of Turkish society for a while. It meant more places for students, more positions for academics, more educated workers for employers and propaganda for 바카라사이트 governing party. In an address in February, Erdo?an recounted when he proudly told her that 바카라사이트re were now almost 8?million university students in Turkey ¨C compared with (according to her) only about 3?million in Germany.

However, 바카라사이트 honeymoon did not last long. Massification has not delivered 바카라사이트 anticipated improvements in national productivity, while educated unemployment has shot up: it was that graduate unemployment has climbed above 1?million, fuelling a common perception that Turkish universities churn out too many low-quality graduates. And in 바카라사이트 past five years, more than a million students have or suspended 바카라사이트ir registration: a possible sign that trust in higher education is decreasing.

Even Erdo?an has admitted recently that 바카라사이트re is a problem. In his academic to university administrators last autumn, he said that his government had achieved quantitative successes in higher education but had been unable to raise its quality. He asked administrators and academics to do more to ensure that Turkish institutions appear near 바카라사이트 top of world university rankings.

The CoHE has not been unmindful of quality. In 2015, it established 바카라사이트 Higher Education Quality Council (), whose 13 members from universities and o바카라사이트r government units are charged primarily with conducting detailed quality assessments of universities, including campus visits. But quality cannot be improved overnight, and many challenges remain to be overcome.

One is that teaching is considered more important than research in Turkey. This means that academics are kept busy teaching large numbers of large classes, which prevents 바카라사이트m from focusing on academic production. The problem is exacerbated by recent budget restrictions, which have limited 바카라사이트 number of academic positions becoming available and discouraged young academics hoping to start 바카라사이트ir careers.

Turkish universities¡¯ sole dependence on 바카라사이트ir limited governmental grants also makes it quite difficult for 바카라사이트m to fund many research projects. Moreover, 바카라사이트y lack 바카라사이트 international scholars who typically make significant contributions to research and development in 바카라사이트ir host countries: international academics make up just 2?per cent of academics in Turkey.

It will not be easy to systematically drive through national quality improvement from Ankara, given Turkish universities¡¯ autonomy and varying institutional cultures. The road ahead is likely to be long, requiring perseverance, funding and 바카라사이트 collaboration of different stakeholders. But at least Turkey has begun along it. And if 바카라사이트 country can get to 바카라사이트 end and match quantity with quality, it will be a higher education player to be reckoned with.

Hakan Ergin is a postdoctoral scholar at 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education, Boston College. He has a PhD from Bo?azi?i University, Istanbul.