Top photo: Dr. Ruth Lucero, President of SPAMAST and Prof. Dr. Necdet Ünüvar, Rector of Ankara University signing the MOU; Bottom photo: Dr. Clement Camposano, Chancellor of UP-Visayas and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, Rector of Kastamonu University presenting the signed copies of their MOU.   Philippine Ambassador Maria Elena P. Algabre, YÖK  Vice President Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktas , and Dr. Elnor Roa   witness the signing of the MOUs. (Embassy photo)

ANKARA, 19 September 2022 – The Philippine Embassy joined a delegation led by Presidents and Chancellors from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines in meeting with the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and Rectors of Turkish universities on 19 September 2022 at the YÖK headquarters in Ankara.

During the meeting, the Presidents and Chancellors of the seven (7) participating Philippine HEIs signed individual Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with each of the six (6) partner Turkish Universities, in relation to the project initiated by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) entitled, “Development of Academic and Exchange Programs among Universities in the Philippines and Türkiye.”

Ambassador Algabre (left) and YÖK Prof. Göktas (right)  listening to the introductory speech of the Head of the PH delegation, Dr. Roa (center) (Embassy photo)

“With the signing of MOUs, both the Philippines and Türkiye are taking the tangible steps to implement the Protocol of Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education signed in 2018,” said Dr. Elnor Roa, Chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan (MSU-Naawan), Co-Lead for the Project, and Head of the visiting delegation. “While there are cooperative undertakings between Philippines and Turkish Universities, this is the first time that they are partnering in the fields of fisheries and marine science,” she continued.

Representatives of the participating PH and Turkish universities at YÖK (Embassy photo)

The 21-member Philippine delegation includes the Presidents, Chancellors, and other officials of Mindanao State University (MSU)-Marawi, MSU-Naawan, University of the Philippines-Visayas (UP-Visayas), Western Philippines University (WPU), Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST), Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), and Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF).

The Turkish side was led by YÖK Vice President, Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktas, and he was joined by the Rectors of the six (6) partner Turkish universities, namely: Ankara University, Kastamonu University, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Ege University, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, and Karadeniz Technical University.

The recent signing of MOUs is another milestone in the ongoing collaboration between the Philippines and Türkiye in the field of higher education, following the conclusion of two (2) partnership agreements signed this February, namely: an MOU between MSU-Naawan and Ankara University; and an MOU between the MSU System and Kastamonu University, together with the Eastern University of the Philippines.

Ambassador Algabre (front, 5-L), YÖK Vice President Prof Göktas (front, 5-R), and the Presidents, Chancellors, and Rectors of the participating PH and Turkish universities (Embassy photo).

The visiting Philippine delegation will be in Türkiye for two (2) weeks to work with their counterparts from partner Turkish universities to concretize the project, including technical collaborative meetings, benchmarking, and observing the best practices of the latter’s  academic and research facilities. ###