AT LEAST six universities in Turkey partnered with Philippine Higher Education Institutions to boost academic exchange programs in the country, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

The DFA said that the Philippine Embassy in Turkey joined a delegation led by the presidents and chancellors of Philippine HEIs in meeting with the Turkish Council of Higher Education and Rectors of Turkish universities earlier this month.

During the meeting, memorandums of understanding were signed between presidents and chancellors of seven Philippine HEIs and six Turkish universities.

The agreements are in line with the project initiated by the Commission on Higher Education titled “Development of Academic and Exchange Programs among Universities in the Philippines and Turkey.”

“With the signing of MOUs, both the Philippines and Turkey are taking the tangible steps to implement the Protocol of Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education signed in 2018,” said Dr. Elnor Roa, chancellor of the Mindanao State University, head of the visiting delegation.

“While there are cooperative undertakings between Philippines and Turkish Universities, this is the first time that they are partnering in the fields of fisheries and marine science,” she added.

The Philippine delegation included officials of the Mindanao State University-Marawi, MSU-Naawan, University of the Philippines-Visayas, Western Philippines University, Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology, Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology and Iloilo State College of Fisheries.

The Turkish delegation was led by YÖK Vice President Professor Dr. Haldun Göktas.
Göktas was joined by rectors of Ankara University, Kastamonu University, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Ege University, Isparta University of Applied Sciences and Karadeniz Technical University.