Higher Education Council Head On His Talks In U.S.

NEW YORK - The head of Turkey's Higher Education Council said on Sunday that one of the major reasons of his visit to USA was to establish cooperation between the U.S. and Turkish vocational education institutions.
Chairperson of the Higher Education Council (YOK) Prof. Yusuf Ziya Ozcan and an accompanying delegation held a series of talks in Washington D.C., Maryland and Delaware as part of their visit to USA.
Speaking to A.A in New York, Ozcan said that they came to USA to cooperate with U.S. scholars in order to improve the current situation in Turkish vocational schools.
"Vocational schools are the engines of our economy. If these schools train the work force needed by our economy and industry, most of the problems in Turkey will be solved. If we can guide some of our high-school graduates to get further education at vocational schools instead of universities, this will diminish the crowds waiting at the doors of universities as well," Ozcan said.
Ozcan said that the best thing to do on this issue was to get support from a country where vocational education system functioned smoothly, and therefore, they decided to pay a visit to USA.
Ozcan said, within the framework of a cooperation program to be carried out between U.S. and Turkish vocational education institutions, Turkish students would be able to spend their first year in Turkey and get their second-year education at a U.S. vocational school.
"We will accept U.S. students as well. They will also have the chance to spend one year of their education at a Turkish institution," Ozcan added.
He said the pilot program would be implemented in 7-8 Turkish vocational schools as a first step.
Ozcan also said that a cooperation protocol was signed between YOK and Community College for International Development (CCID).
YOK head and the accompanying delegation will hold talks with scholars from State University of New York (SUNY) and later meet with the Governor of New York David A. Paterson. They will also get together in New York with a group of Turkish students studying at U.S. universities.
The delegation headed by Ozcan is scheduled to depart from New York for Turkey on October 17.
(DO-EÖ)
(GEN)