THEQC Students Commission Participates in an ESU Panel on Integration and Inclusion in Professional Higher Education

Erdoğan Taha Akbaş, a student member of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) and the Chair of the THEQC Students Commission, and Berkay Tarım, a Commission member, who are also members of the ESU Quality Assurance Student Experts’ Pool, participated in the online panel organised by the European Students’ Union (ESU) within the scope of the InclusiPHE Project on 24 March 2023.

In the panel, it was mentioned that ever-developing higher education started to cover students of all ages, and the student profile was changing day by day. In addition, the panel emphasised the need for students to take part in the processes to meet the needs of these students, who have recently been included in higher education, by higher education institutions.

The panel focused especially on professional higher education, and methods of involving all students in the relevant processes were discussed. In addition, the key role to be played by students’ societies and unions was emphasized throughout the panel.

Commission member Berkay Tarım, who took the floor during the panel, talked about the importance of the harmony between the teaching program outputs and the expectations of the private sector. Tarım underlined that this harmony is essential so that students can get a job immediately after graduation in the face of the rising global cost of living. The panel ended after the contributions of the participants and a questions-and-answers session.

What is Professional Higher Education?

These are training packages designed and included in the program to improve the specialization in the field and the student’s professional competence.