Prof. Erol Özvar, CoHE President, Attends THEQC Council Meeting

The Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) February Council meeting was held with the attendance of Prof. Erol Özvar, CoHE President.

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, THEQC President, chaired the meeting held at the THEQC Meeting Hall on 10 February 2026, which was attended by Council members.

Prof. Özvar gave a speech before the meeting and wished that the new term of THEQC would be beneficial for Turkish higher education. Pointing out that the importance of quality assurance and accreditation in higher education has increased in recent years, President Özvar said, “THEQC has an important place in Turkish higher education. Quality is like a fresh pair of eyes. THEQC’s quality assurance efforts will ensure that our higher education institutions become capable of competing with their European and global counterparts, not only in learning and teaching but also in R&D and innovation. This will be the most valuable aspect of the work done.”

Stating that the work carried out in higher education quality assurance since the Bologna Process has provided a base for today, President Özvar continued, “Encouraging and guiding our universities in this process will be possible largely through your efforts. In this respect, the Council has a very key mission. Hopefully, we will carry this flag even further together with you. We know the work done on accreditation in the world. Our vision for the future is to advance this field in Türkiye by expanding our accreditation efforts beyond both program and institutional accreditation. We believe that quality permeates every aspect of life.”

President Kocabıçak expressed his appreciation for President Özvar’s visit to the THEQC Council meeting. Stating that Türkiye has become a quality exporting country in higher education with the launch of the international institutional accreditation program (IIAP) carried out by THEQC, he said, “With the support of CoHE and President Özvar, institutional and program accreditations have become integral parts of Türkiye’s higher education policies. Regarding program accreditation, there is work to be done for alignment with ESG and TQF. THEQC will continue its efforts in harmony with CoHE to increase the quality and international competitiveness of our universities, 65% of which have been newly established in the last 25 years. These efforts are vital to enhance the quality of higher education.”