November 25, 2017•Update: November 26, 2017
By Sorwar Alam
ISTANBUL
With Turkish state support, international graduates of Turkish universities are set to form around 100 alumni associations over the next two years, more than tripling the number of such groups worldwide.
Speaking Saturday at an Istanbul event for international alumni from Turkish universities, Mehmet Kose, head of the state Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), said that currently there are 30 alumni associations around the world established by graduates of Turkey.
"With consultations we did with our graduates in Ankara before this program, we set the goal of reaching 40 alumni associations by the end of the year and 100 within two years," he added.
Today, there is a graduate from Turkey in almost every country around the world, making up an international family of 150,000 people, he said.
Before the meeting, the YTB discussed the plan with thousands of graduates in around 50 cities worldwide, according to Kose.
The YTB is the sole authority to provide government scholarships to international students under the Turkish Scholarship program.
Underlining the rising number of international students at Turkish universities, Kose said the country’s economic growth and the development of its education sector paid a leading role in the trend.
"The improvement in many areas in Turkey has also helped to keep international students in our country in line with the comfortable conditions, and the rise in the number of international students we attract shows the positive effects of this situation."
From Turkish university to helping Rohingya
Shubhash CH. Wostey from Nepal -- the head of UNHCR operations in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, which is hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees -- expressed his gratitude to Turkey for offering him the opportunity to study in 1994.
Wostey graduated from Ankara’s Middle East Technical University in 1994 and since then has been working with refugees in various parts of the world.
Since the Rohingya crisis erupt earlier this year, Wostey has been working in southeastern Bangladesh, neighboring Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
"The experience that I got from Turkey and Turkish people led me to professional and other kind of refugee work," he said, adding that not only the university but also Turkey’s society and people taught him.
"The experience and education I got came not only from university but also society. People who study in Turkey don’t learn only from textbooks, but from the rich history, culture, and society of Turkey," he added.
On the Rohingya issue, Wostey applauded Turkey's humanitarian support for the Rohingya refugees who fled state persecution in Myanmar.
"I was one of the people who welcomed Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan during her visit to refugees at Cox’s Bazar... As a professional who follows the Rohingya issue, I sincerely thank Turkey for its efforts."
Also speaking at the event, Adis Alagic, head of the Turkish alumni association in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressed the unity and hope among graduates thanks to a better future.
In recent years, Turkey has become a popular destination for international students, both for scholarship-holders and other students.
According to the latest YTB data, 16,817 foreign students study in Turkish universities on scholarships provided by the government, while over 100,000 are studying in Turkey using non-government funds.
This year around 106,550 students from 163 countries have applied for the Turkey Scholarship Program, up sharply from 8,000 applicants in 2011.
