Turkey to become worldwide brand in education

SAN DIEGO, United States

Turkey is aiming to be a worldwide brand in international education with its new project "Study in Turkey", Turkey's higher education chief said at an international education conference on Friday.

Gokhan Cetinsaya, the head of the Higher Education Council told the Anadolu Agency that Turkey is making huge efforts in the branding and institutionalizing of its universities under this new project, with the aim of attracting more international students through exchange programs.

"There were nearly 30 thousand international students in Turkey in 2011," said Cetinsaya in the Association of International Educator's (NAFSA) conference. "Now, this number has reached up to 70 thousand."

The chairman also said that Turkey is planning to run an organization similar to NAFSA next year, as another step towards its aims. 

Stressing the importance of Turkey's multiculturalism and geographic location, he said that higher education has been another tool for the country's soft power. 

Turkey hosted more than 10 thousand students last year through European Union's exchange program, ERASMUS, and launched its own worldwide exchange program, MEVLANA, in 2012. 

Cetinsaya said Turkish students make up the tenth largest student group in the U.S. and it is the second among the European countries who send students to the country, showing Turkey's achievements in internalization.

www.aa.com.tr/en