Turkish Daily News
25.02.2005

New university to change mentality, end brain drain

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan says the establishment of TOBB’s University of Economy and Technology constitutes an important step in changing the mentality that the state alone should find solutions for Turkey’s problems. TOBB President Rifat Hisarcýklýoðlu stresses that the university will turn the brain-drain problem in Turkey’s favor

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
At the opening ceremony of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges University of Economy and Technology (TOBB-ETÜ), held at the Söðütözü campus in Ankara yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan said the new university would play an important role in changing the Turkish mentality towards education and development. TOBB-ETÜ, which launched its educational activities with the 2004-2005 school year, is the first such example in Turkey formed by cooperation between the educational and industrial sectors. In its first year of operation, the university became the fifth top choice among university applicants.
Risks need to be taken, mentality must change:
The prime minister, noting that the new university was a perfect example of cooperation between the university and industrial sectors, said: “For years, our people expected everything in the education sector to be done by the state. At the same time, people with capital and resources did very little to contribute to education. They did not want to take risks. This was the biggest mental problem Turkey faced in years past. I believe the establishment of TOBB-ETÜ will act as an important initiative to change this mentality.”
Erdoðan said that a country cannot develop or compete in the global market without creating its own technology. “We can't develop simply by being consumers,” he said. “To produce, to export, a country has to invest in its people. As we open ourselves to the outside world, our intellectual capacity will grow as well. However, investing in human capital should no longer be seen as the job of only the state,” he said. Erdoðan noted that the initiative TOBB has shown in establishing TOBB-ETÜ should be considered the best response to people who expect the state to solve all of the country's problems.
Education government's top priority:
The prime minister also said the greatest share of the 2004 and 2005 budgets was allocated to education and that this should be a valid indicator of the importance the government gives to education. He stated that Turkey is behind the developed world in terms of research and development but added that TL 450 trillion (YTL 450 million) was allocated to the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBÝTAK) by the current government to be used in university projects.
One year of job experience by graduation:
Erdoðan further said the Turkish education system urgently needs to be restructured and that the correct principles on how to do that need to be established. “TOBB-ETÜ will contribute to this goal as it will finally bring together theory and practice in our education system.”
One of the improvements the new university brings to the Turkish education system is the three-semester school year in which students will gain direct experience in the business world as they work in respected companies for four months each year. TOBB-ETÜ Rector Tahsin Kesici said in his speech that through this system, called “Joint Education,” each student would receive one full year of job experience by the time he or she graduates. “Our goal is to ensure that these students contribute to our macroeconomic development. Through this experience, some might even become employers in a short period of time. This kind of system can be observed in some developed countries,” he said.
Free laptops for all students:
The rector, providing information on the university, noted that computer usage is a must in today's world and that the university provides a laptop to each enrolled student. He further added that every class in the university has a connection to the Internet and that there are also hotspots enabling wireless Internet usage throughout the campus. The dean also noted that the university believes in equal opportunity for all and that it provides scholarships to more than half of its students.
University to end brain drain:
TOBB President Rifat Hisarcýklýoðlu said: “Turkey has been fighting a battle to stand on its own two feet for around 200 years. The only way of accomplishing this goal is through the efforts of scientists and developing our human capital." He stated that this university was formed with a completely different vision compared to others.
“One part of the vision is to create our own technology through the work of the university so that the university will be able to finance itself. The other part is to find a solution to students going abroad for education and to prevent the resulting brain drain,” he said. Hisarcýklýoðlu stressed that Turkish students form the majority of students studying abroad in the United States and the European Union and added that Turkey is losing millions of dollars each year in revenue. “We will turn the brain-drain problem in our favor by accepting foreign students to our university in future years,” he said.