In the "Workshop of Examination for International Students (YOS)" held at the UZEM Conference Hall in cooperation with Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) International Relations Unit and UZEM, the examination system and the problems of the system were discussed together with the guests coming from different universities in Turkey.
The workshop attended by the guests from 30 different universities was held with the participation of Prof. Rahmi Er, Member of the Executive Committee of the Council of Higher Education, OMU Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç, Prof. Metin Orbay, Rector of Amasya University, Prof. Seyit Aydın, Rector of Kastamonu University, OMU Vice Rector Prof. Mehmet Kuran, Vice Rector Prof. Vedat Ceyhan, Vice Rector Prof. Mehmet Ali Cengiz, Rector's Consultant Prof. Hüsnü Demirsoy, Prof. Rıdvan Kızılkaya, Head of the International Relations Unit, Prof. İzzet Akça, Director of OMU UZEM, Ramazan Çetinkaya, Head of the IT department of OSYM and numerous academicians.
Rector Bilgiç stated that the selection of international students was made through a central examination carried out by YOK until 2012, and he remarked: "Most of our universities started to choose international students by making their own exams abroad. However, as this situation became widespread, it caused some problems. When our colleagues carrying out these exams made a suggestion for the organization of a workshop to be attended by other universities, we shared this idea with YOK with a view to contribute to the solutions of the problems. The Council of Higher Education welcomed our opinion and today we have valuable guests from YÖK and ÖSYM. "
Prof. Bilgic stated: "we will share a final report with YOK after the workshop. I hope that the workshop will contribute to the realization of a more reasonable, less problematic period. "
After the speech of Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç, Prof. Rahmi Er, Member of YOK Executive Committee, made a presentation on Turkish Higher Education System and the issues of international students. "Internationalization in higher education is a phenomenon growing in importance every year. Each country is trying to get more share from this student potential. As the Council of Higher Education, we are carrying out intensive studies for the internationalization of the Turkish Higher Education System. " said Prof. Rahmi Er.
Prof. Er remarked that the number of international students at Turkish universities has elevated from 20 thousands to 100 thousands, and he stated that Syria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Greece, Kyrgyzstan and Bulgaria are the countries sending the highest numbers of international students to our country. Rahmi Er also explained at which universities these students were educated, and he emphasized that OMU ranked 9th among Turkish universities in terms of the numbers of international students.
Prof. Rahmi Er emphasized that as the Council of Higher Education, they were working to bring qualified international students to the country, and he underlined that the universities needed to increase the number of programs in English.
He also touched upon the problems resulting from the exams made abroad by universities and the reasons of these problems. Er also remarked: "Numerous universities can make exams on the same day or they can organize high numbers of examinations. Such situations can lead to a negative opinion on the Turkish Higher Education System. As YOK, we are determined not to repeat these mistakes. For this reason, this workshop was also very effective in terms of ideas and timing. The report to be delivered to us at the end of the workshop will certainly be taken into consideration. I would like to thank Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç and other stakeholders for this workshop that will contribute significantly to the establishment of a healthier system".
Prof. Rıdvan Kızılkaya, Head of the International Relations Unit, remarked that the number of international students would reach 7 million in the world by 2020 according to the data of UNESCO. Kızılkaya also stated: "In fact, international students constitute a market. Total market share of the international students is $ 210 billion. For this reason, countries are trying to attract students from other countries.The rate of international students at our university is now around 4 percent. We welcome international students mostly from Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Syria."
Kızılkaya stated that they aimed to solve the problems encountered before and after YOS by gathering together with other universities, and he said: "I think that a common exam that will be prepared by the universities together can be made for international students. We can find a common solution with the directives of the official authorities in the country for the issues such as the quality of the examination questions, the location of the examination centers, and the language of the exams".
The workshop chaired by Prof. Rıdvan Kızılkaya, Head of the International Relations Unit, continued with Prof. Emin Kasap's presentation entitled "the Preperation of Exam Questions", Ramazan Çetinkaya's presentation entitled "Examination Security", Prof. Mehmet Ali Cengiz's presentation entitled " Evaluation of Exam Results and Placement of Students", Asst. Prof. Recai Oktaş's presentation entitled "Interuniversity Networking" and Asst. Prof. Rezan Yılmaz's presentation entitled "Creating a Workshop Report and Declaration".
Story: Çiğdem ÜNALDI
Photography: Gökhan ÇETİN
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