President Kocabıçak Attends “The 10th International Congress of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language” at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMÜ) hosted “The 10th International Congress of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language”, organised by ÇOMÜ Turkish Language Teaching Application and Research Centre (TÖMER) on 2-4 May 2025.

The main theme of the congress, which Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, President of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC), attended as an invited speaker, was “Standardisation, Accreditation, Quality, and Current Issues in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language”. 112 papers in total were presented for two days at the congress, with the participation of experts in the field.

Prof. Arda Aydın, ÇOMÜ Vice Rector; Assist. Prof. Melek Kalin Sali, Director of ÇOMÜ TÖMER; Prof. Alparslan Okur, and Assoc. Prof. Sevim İnal gave the opening speeches of the congress. Prof. R. Cüneyt Erenoğlu, ÇOMÜ Rector, attended the congress via video conference and delivered his opening speech. The speakers emphasised the importance of increasing academic cooperation and scientific standards in the teaching of Turkish at the international level.

President Kocabıçak, who attended the congress as an invited speaker, made a presentation on “Standardisation, Accreditation and Quality in Turkish Preparatory Centres as Higher Education Institutions”. Giving examples from Türkiye and the world on the quality assurance system in higher education, he provided information about the activities of THEQC. In his speech, President Kocabıçak made comprehensive evaluations on the role and future of Turkish language teaching centres in the context of quality assurance systems in higher education.

The congress continued with panels and sessions organised after the opening speeches. International students also took an active role in the congress, where scientific exchanges and academic discussions took place. The congress is expected to make significant academic contributions to quality, accreditation and standardisation studies in teaching Turkish as a foreign language.