THEQC Holds First Meeting After Reorganization

The aspects concerning the administrative and financial structure of the Higher Education Quality Council of Turkey (THEQC), which has been active for two years after being established in the scope of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Directive that entered into force with its release on the Official Newspaper no 29423 on July 23, 2015, were reformulated according to the additional clause no 35 introduced to the Higher Education Law no 2547 and the Law no 7033 on the Reform of Certain Laws and Decree laws for the Improvement of Industry and Supporting Production. With the legislative regulation, THEQC gained the status of public entity and was vested with special budget and administrative and financial autonomy. The first meeting of THEQC was held under the presidency of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) President Prof. Dr. M. A. Yekta Saraç to elect the President and Vice President of THEQC, form the standing committees, and negotiate the secondary legislation on THEQC’s organizational structure and working principles. The THEQC members elected by CoHE; namely Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan, Prof. Dr. Tuğba Yanpar Yelken and Prof. Dr. Tuncay Döğeroğlu; and Prof. Dr. Aslıhan Nasır, Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Elmas and Prof. Dr. Sibel Aksu Yıldırım, who were elected by the Inter-University Council; Prof. Dr. Çetin Erol elected by the National Education Ministry, Vocational Qualification Authority representative Adem Ceylan, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) representative Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Murat Ar; Turkish Directorate of Health Institutes (TÜSEB) representative Prof. Dr. Ahmet Çarhan and the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK) representative Dr. Halil İbrahim Çetin attended the meeting.

In the opening speech of the meeting, CoHE President Saraç underscored that the efforts towards taking concrete steps regarding the quality assurance in the   higher education area were initiated three years ago, adding that the authorities CoHE carries in this respect were delegated to THEQC, which was formed in accordance with the legislation dated 23 July 2015.Prof.Dr. Saraç also stated that a significant progress has been made thanks to the cooperative works of CoHE and THEQC, and stressed that THEQC, which started its activities as of December 23, 2015, and all the relevant stakeholders, notably the THEQC members, highly contributed to the process, adding that the present situation has met appreciation.

Remarking that CoHE has exerted great efforts to vest THEQC with administrative and financial autonomy, Saraç said that this process is also supported by the President of Turkey and they appreciated the fact that both the ruling party and the oppositional parties contributed to the project in full agreement. Saraç underlined the successful implementations of THEQC in our higher education system and the positive feed-backs received in this respect.He also pointed out that it is essential for THEQC to work in integration with CoHE as in previous terms and the past experiences set ground for the continuity of the current system, and finally shared his recommendations for the adoption of the notion of gradual progress.Stating that the efforts to enable CoHE’s implementation of the decrees issued as a result of THEQC’s activities will continue, Prof.Dr. Saraç said he truly believes that THEQC will mark more accomplishments after its reorganization and he will side with every effort towards stimulating and establishing a culture of quality assurance as an organic component of our higher education system.During the meeting Prof. Dr.Muzaffer Elmas from Sakarya University, who was elected as a THEQC member by the Inter – University Council Presidency, was elected as THEQC President, while Prof.Dr.Tuncay Döğeroğlu from Anadolu University, who was elected to THEQC membership by the General Board of Higher Education, was elected as THEQC Vice President. The meeting went on to negotiate the secondary legislation draft for the determination of the working procedures and principles of THEQC whilst ideas were exchanged on the formation of standing committees of THEQC and the authorization of the External Evaluation and Accreditation Agencies who applied for the extension of their registration or applied for the first time to receive Quality Evaluation Registration Certificate.Respectfully announced to the public.