Republic of turkey

INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGY

POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE DEVELOPING TURKEY’S HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY

In Turkey, education is generally regarded as a field of problems. In a public survey conducted in 2006, 29,6 % of the population pointed out unemployment to be the most important problem in Turkey while 14,9 % pointed out terrorism and national security, 9,6 % inflation and 8,7 % education. As education takes the 4^th rang with such a percentage, this can be regarded as a proof that the education offered in Turkey is far from fulfilling the expectations of the population.⁸⁰ Turkey has to deal seriously with problems at any level of education and must develop solutions.

Until this chapter we have analyzed how the expectations in the field of higher education have changed in Turkey and in the world and also we have analyzed the current structure and performance of higher education in Turkey. We have pointed out different expectations and determined different fields of problems. Of course, these determinations are necessary in order to submit a strategy proposal. But in order to make a strategy proposal, the fields on which the strategy has to focus must be clarified by the help of the determinations made until this chapter. First of all, this will be done. For the development of a strategy, only this clarification might not be enough. While doing a strategic interference, what is being tried to be reached must also be clarified. Therefore, in this chapter, secondly, while considering higher education, which logic the starting point would be will also be determined. If the suggested strategy is not going to be an ordinary passive follower of the tendencies of the outer world, such a determination will have constitute critical importance. After the determination of the fields of strategic interference and the strategic objectives, in order to be able to pass to the strategic recommendations, what kind of interference and tools will be used in the third stage will be determined.

1. FIELDS OF PROBLEM WITH STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE ON WHICH THE HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY WILL FOCUS

1. 
   We can start by denominating the problems of strategic importance of Turkey’s higher education system by inadequacy of the demand capacity. While evaluating Turkey’s higher education system, inadequacy of capacity appeared from different aspects. Turkey’s demand for higher education is much higher than the supply of the system. In order to resolve the problems resulting from this discrepancy, the chosen entrance examination, while resolving problems, also constitutes a source for new problems. The necessity of increase in the capacity of supply does not only come from inside of Turkey. The accelerating new structuring of industry and service production in the world especially after the 80s has changed in the whole world, the demand of the economy for skilled labour has forced the higher education change from elitist education into mass education. Also, the percentage of enrolment of about 10% has increased to over 60%. Turkey must also follow this path. Both internal and external dynamics have caused the increase in capacity of supply of higher education to be one of the most important strategic problems.
   
2. 
   Another problem of strategic importance of the higher education system is the improvement of the education quality and to develop internationally accepted evaluation systems for this quality level which will form an assurance. There are both internal and external reasons for this problem to have a strategic importance. On one hand, there are wide-spread critics about the qualifications of the graduates of the higher education system of the country. Attempting to explain the huge unemployment rate among university graduates in Turkey with economy policies is not sufficient. Like in Turkey, the education systems trying to increase the supply very rapidly have problems in assuring that the supply is educated at a certain level. On the other hand, the internationalization of the higher education tendencies and the fact that Turkey is a part of the Bologna process necessitate that the quality assurance has to be provided in an internationally accepted mechanism.
   
3. 
   A third problem regarding the supply of the higher education system of Turkey is the fact that, in order to be effective in the today’s globalized world, the necessary diversity is lacking and especially in order to take a leading part in the science and technology competition, the necessary mechanisms for excellence centers which can arise within the higher education system have not been established yet, the necessary flexibility for this does not exist. The policies directing the higher education system in Turkey do not give universities the liberty to create their own history; instead they have mid-level mainstream tendencies.
   
4. 
   The reason why the supply of the higher education system is not increased and why steps for the improvement of quality are not taken is the fact that the financing model of the system is insufficient from different aspects. If it is wanted to increase the supply, the quality is to be improved and if the system shall be world-wide known, it will be necessary to make changes in the financing model. Therefore, the new development of the financing model is a strategic problem. The new model, while increasing the directed total funds, has to ensure the diversity of resources, has to increase the efficiency of use of the resources provided and has to ensure equal opportunity in the public.
   
5. 
   The higher education system in Turkey has an important lack of instructors both in respect of quantity and quality. The success of higher education systems depends mainly on the qualification of the instructors. The entrance gate to the academic life at the university opens after receiving the PhD degree. Turkey’s existing channels for the education of PhD graduates are not educating manpower with PhD degree in a sufficient number and quality. In order to meet the demands of both the university system and the research field, the gap of manpower with PhD degree must be filled. The increase of qualified scientists and instructors and the orderly distribution of them according to different fields is one of the main problems of the higher education system which must be resolved. The opening of various new institutions of higher education, the decrease of student – instructor levels which will consist the first step to guarantee a high-quality education at institutions of higher education and in order to be a successful actor of the European Research Area, Turkey has to widen its education channels for PhD and PhD continuing education and has to keep the costs for it within acceptable limits.
   
6. 
   Within the structuring of the higher education in the world as well as in Turkey, as the instructors especially at public universities experience continuously a status and income loss, are pushed within the administration of the university from central position towards marginal positions, and are moreover pressured in order to get efficiency and are treated as individuals who must be monitored continuously instead of individuals who can increase the creativity waves, all this has created an estrangement within the higher education system in Turkey. In such an environment, the individuals retreat themselves into their shells, are not participating in common activities, and organize their activities according to actions which can help them to progress in their academic life. This situation limits the social capital and the capacity to create social capital of institutions of higher education at a great extent. And therefore the universities face the problem of being obliged to improve their administration culture. If the social capital of the universities is wanted to be improved, it must be avoided to overuse authority and power for resolving the problems and the search for a common opinion must be given priority.
   
7. 
   In Turkey, orally the university instructors are exalted on the one hand while this creates very high expectations regarding their success, and on the other hand their social status loss is increasing and the non-confidence is expressed very often for them. The relationship between institutions of higher education and the public must be created on the basis of rational expectations and a basis which does not create a gap of confidence. Nowadays, it is being observed that two main problems are responsible for the arising of the gap of confidence. The first one is the fact that during the creation and promotion of university posts the evaluation practices based on merit cannot remove the evaluations based on loyalty. And this situation prevents the freedom of movement between universities and makes universities closed systems which are only nourished from inside. The demands regarding developments based on merit mainly remain in words. There are many reasons for this. The main mechanism for the development based on merit is the peer review approach and it is known that this approach has problems in the world, but the usage of this approach in Turkey within the framework of the dominant human relations culture in Turkey has much more severe problems. The second problem results from the fact that the ethic standards regarding the foundation of the relation of the university with the public have experienced erosion from the market values. The structuring in both fields has a strategic importance concerning the future of the universities.
   
8. 
   The fact that the higher education capacity cannot meet the existing demand has created the university entrance examination system. As this system is closed for nepotism and corruption, this has created a very solid confidence in the public. Without doubt, this is an important success. It is being trusted that these examinations can select the students according to set criteria. But on the other hand, the university entrance examination creates a twofold problem in the public. The first one is that various problems of equal opportunity which could not be resolved by the state are reflected on the formation of these examinations and places the examinations in such a position that they are expected to solve problems which they actually cannot solve. Secondly, as this examination became the sole criteria for the evaluation of the secondary education, this has created negative side effects in the public. For example, the high school education can loose its importance totally, and it withdraws students in their most fruitful period from activities of arts, sports, etc. The success of the examination cannot be compared with the negative effects it creates. The university entrance system must be designed in such a way that it decreases the pressure and side effects over the students as much as possible.
   
9. 
   Nowadays, in order that a student can be successful in the higher education system and in business life after education, he/she must know one or more foreign languages. If the fact of globalization is taken into account, this necessity becomes much clearer. Therefore, resolving the problem that university graduates know at least one foreign language is a problem of strategic importance. Of course, the desired situation is that the student comes already having solved the problem of a foreign language during the secondary education. But the student comes from secondary education without sufficient capacities regarding this matter. The efforts to close these gaps done during the higher education mostly fail as well.
   
10. 
    Within the higher education system the Colleges constitute a field of problem which must be especially dealt with. These schools which have a critical importance regarding the effective functioning of the economy of a country, show great differences among each other regarding the quality of education and qualifications. There are serious problems which must be solved regarding the compliance of the composition of the instructors compared to the education given, establishment of careers, types of financing and their positions within the administration of the university, the increase of sensibility of these schools regarding the local needs etc.
    
11. 
    The fact that equal opportunity could not be established is one of the principle problems which cannot be neglected. But the solution for this problem must be searched mainly in the secondary education instead of the higher education system.