Generally current discussions on higher education can be handled in
three main stages. First stage is the issues related with the supplying
higher educational demand and entrance to higher education. Second
stage is the issues related with higher education management and
increasing the quality. Third stage is the issues related with
preparatory studies for European Higher Education Area of higher
education institutions in Turkey.
While higher education demand
increases in parallel with the increase in population and economic
developments, creating capacity in higher education can not be equally
accomplished. That’s why constant aggregation before the universities
is the point at issue. This aggregation causes competition for higher
education. As a result of this, examinations which in fact should be a
tool turn out to be an aim and an obstruction for fulfilling the
objectives of secondary education. This condition exerts pressure both
on political parties, governments and higher education institutions.
Endeavors to meet this demand continue by opening new programs or
founding new higher education institutions. In 2006, 15 new
universities were founded at different cities to supply this demand and
currently there are some new attempts for founding new universities.
One
of the issues in connection with this issue is the entrance to higher
education. Current system requires central examinations nationwide for
selection and placement on account of the facts that higher educational
demand stays high yet the supply is restricted. School types that
students graduate from are restrictive on the eligible areas. Different
coefficients are applied to different school graduates (general or
vocational education) according to the preferred program types.
Especially vocational-technical secondary education students get into a
disadvantageous position in case they prefer programs out of sphere.
Now the current practice forces vocational-technical graduates of
higher education to prefer mostly among vocational programs within
their own sphere because of the coefficient practice. It is intended to
provide students with education in a field that they are graduated from
through different coefficient practice. The authorization for making
arrangements on entrance to higher education is granted to
Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) by current constitution and Yükseköğretim
Kanunu, No. 2547. While Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) tends to maintain
coefficient practice with partial arrangements, the government has the
will to intervene in this situation by legislative arrangements. This
issue on higher education continues to be the most debated agenda item
both within scientific district and generally in public opinion.
Various
discussions on main legislative arrangements that are required to be
fulfilled about higher education including entrance to higher education
have been held for long years. Within the frame of these discussions
many items of the current Yükseköğretim Kanunu have undergone many
changes since its enactment in 1981. In recent years although there
were attempts to make extensive legislative arrangements about higher
education these attempts remained unconcluded. Current legal
arrangements grant the subjects about higher education predominantly to
Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) however some subjects of higher education
are also included in Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı’nın Teşkilat ve Görevleri
Hakkında Kanunun No. 3797. For example within Millî Eğitim
Bakanlığı’nın Teşkilat ve Görevleri Hakkında Kanunun, No. 3797 in item
19 the tasks of determining higher educational policy, objective and
principles and developing them continuously, adopting required measures
to execute higher education in accordance with the public educational
and higher educational policy, principles and objectives, generalizing
higher education within a schedule, increasing the quantity and quality
are assigned to the Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı. Yet subjects with similar
content are assigned to Yükseköğretim Kuruluna (YÖK) by Yükseköğretim
Kanunu, No. 2547. Similar conditions oblige Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı
(MEB) and Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) to cooperate. Besides in specific
cases they are statutorily obliged to cooperate. Yet in practice this
cooperation can not be fulfilled adequately and debates are going on
within this framework.
In addition to the above mentioned
disputes Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK)’s efforts to overcome the problems
and develop higher education are the points at issue. Within this frame
the report entitled Türkiye’nin Yükseköğretim Stratejisiwhich
was prepared by Strategy Development Committee of Higher Education that
was founded Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) with an intention to contribute
to restructuring higher education, solving problems and forming a
discussion atmosphere was accomplished in February 2007 and published
in http://www.yok.gov.tr/duyuru/strateji_gorus.htm. Strategic recommendations which are included in this report can be handled basically in three ways. These are:
To supply higher education demand and entrance to higher education
Higher education administration and increasing the quality
Preparatory studies of the higher education institutions for European Higher Education Area.
Recommendations
made for supplying higher educational demand and arranging entrance to
higher education within the report can be listed as follows:
Recommendations for directing at an early age,
Recommendation for increasing the quota of higher education
Promoting vocational education
Rearrangement of selection and placement system for higher education,
By
fulfilling these recommendations education at school will be
highlighted in secondary education and thus in addition to the increase
in educational quality, placement of qualified candidates to the
associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs that concerned program
requires and quality growth in higher education are foreseen.
Regarding
the management of the higher education, expanding the autonomy of the
universities and the decision sphere are included as a strategy within
the report. Regarding this issue it is mentioned that there are
problems arising from the Constitution, from Yükseköğretim Kanunu, No.
2547, from the dominant mentality and habits in academic institutions
thus a transition from centralist system to decentralized management
system might be accomplished gradually. Further steps that can be taken
for the reduction of centralism will be possible by improving quality
process. It is foreseen that there would be the possibility of
transferring many authorizations currently at the center to the
universities by improvement of quality agents, settlement and
generalization of internal and external evaluation. In such a structure
as the criteria and standards are to be predetermined, resolutions by
institutions are considered to be adopted within a transparent and
objective frame. In case of integration of quality assurance system
with renewed budget legislation and practices, it is mentioned that it
will be possible to allocate resources by performance and this will
bring estrangement from centralism dramatically. Consequently it is
suggested that a large province and resolution scope will be
constituted for the institutions, concepts of diversification and
competition can be actualized significantly.
As discussions
about the report continue, in practice the endeavors for establishing
quality assurance systems gained speed. Within the process initiated by
Yükseköğretim Kurumlarında Akademik Değerlendirme ve Kalite Geliştirme
Yönetmeliği which was prepared by Yükseköğretim Kurulu and executed in
20 September 2005, crucial steps were taken in evaluation and
development of quality levels for higher education institutions. Higher
Education Academic Evaluation and Quality Improvement Committee (YODEK)
that consists of 9 persons selected by Interuniversity Council, entered
upon its duty. Guide for Academic Evaluation and Quality Improvement in
Higher Education Institutions was prepared by YÖDEK in 2006.
This guide was prepared considering the developments worldwide and
particularly European-wide within the Bologna process, in this context
the obligations of higher education supreme committees and higher
education institutions and internal and external principles and
criteria and details about the process were determined. These
infrastructure preparations can render the endeavors of evaluation and
quality development of higher education institutions more systematic
and traceable.
One of the main changes about higher education is the
studies of higher education institutions on adaptation to European
Higher Education Area. Within the scope of Bologna Process and Lisbon
objectives Yükseköğretim Kurulu initiated studies on national
qualifications frame in higher education field. Within this scope
studies on the definition of qualifications on program basis and on
securing the learning outcomes under quality assurance are continued.
In this context universities conduct studies on adaptation of their
programs to European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), granting diploma
supplement and maintaining mobility of student and education staff.
One
of the significant developments on higher education is the transition
to strategic planning as the requirement of the above mentioned
regulations and Kamu Mali Yönetimi ve Kontrol Kanunu, No. 5180. Higher
education institutions maintain various studies in this context.
One
of the actual subjects about higher education in Turkey is the private
higher education institutions. First private (foundation) university
was founded twenty years ago within Yükseköğretim Kanunu No. 2547 and
today number of private universities has increased to 30. Number of
private universities is expected to increase more in this context.
Institutions:
Authority of Supervision Board Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Merkez Bina B Blok
Kat: 6 Bakanlıklar Ankara/TÜRKİYE Tel.:+90 312 425 27 57 Fax:+90 312 417 14 37 Website:http://tkb.meb.gov.tr
Higher Education Council Yükseköğretim Kurulu Başkanlığı 06539 Bilkent
Ankara/TÜRKİYE Tel.:+90 312 298 70 00 Fax:+90 312 266 51 53 E-mail: webadmin@yok.gov.tr Website:http://www.yok.gov.tr
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