Brain drain in reverse as students flow into Turkey

With the Higher Education Board (YÖK) currently working out the details of changes planned to make the process of coming to Turkey as an international student much easier, Today’s Zaman spoke with foreigners studying here this semester and learned their reasons for choosing Turkey. Andrey, Agamyrat, Nazar, Alina, Raze and Chee-Chin are just some among the many students who, despite gaining full scholarships to good schools in their own countries, chose instead to travel here for their university education. This group of students is studying at Fatih University in İstanbul, and they say that while they miss their home countries -- Iraq, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Thailand -- the warmth and sincerity of Turks has eased their homesickness and encouraged them to stay.

Andrey of Moldova smiles when asked why he chose Turkey. Andrey, who placed second at the 2005 World Ecology Olympics, said he had visited Turkey during high school and fell in love with the country, deciding he would do his best to study here for university. He says he wanted to become acquainted with another culture, and continues: “When I was in high school, Turks were really interesting to me. My family didn’t like Turks much, but after meeting my Turkish teachers, their opinions changed. They’re also happy I’m studying in Turkey, and now their own interest in the country has been sparked.” Andrey was in Australia for a semester through an exchange program, but says that despite the fact that Australian culture more closely resembles his own, he missed Turkey the entire time. The student plans to do a master’s degree in Turkey as well, and he notes that while in his own country students are afraid to even approach instructors with questions, in Turkey his professors all know each of their students by name.

Agamyrat (who was third in the world in physics in an international academic olympiad) and Nazar (who placed global first in math in the same competition) are from Turkmenistan, and say that as natives of a Turkic country they don’t feel like foreigners in Turkey but are cognizant of the better educational opportunities offered here. “Those in our class with the same credentials as us are attending one of the world’s 50 best universities, but we chose Turkey. Education in Turkey is at the same standard as Europe, and in our opinion even more successful, in terms of both the importance assigned to international students and technical opportunities,” they say.

Alina, a student in international relations from Kazakhstan, also notes that her Turkic culture makes her feel at home here and says her dream is to go back to her home country after completing her education and work on projects between the two nations. “I had the opportunity to study on a scholarship in my own country, but I chose to come to Turkey instead,” she says.

Chee-Chin of Thailand is a recent graduate of an American culture and literature department and says she chose Turkey because it’s a Muslim country. She had difficulty adjusting to the culture when she first arrived but eventually came to love it and is now pursuing a master’s degree here, she explained.

Raza of Iraq came in second in a world mathematics competition and said that while the educational systems of Iraq and Turkey are similar, gaining equivalency certification to enter Turkish schools is difficult. He says he hopes that the changes made by YÖK will solve this problem.

All of the students say that they find Turks sincere and curious, and a shared complaint is that they find Turks in the street stare at them as if they’ve never seen foreigners before, despite their being in metropolitan İstanbul.

Fatih University International Student Advisor Nurcan Eke says the new YÖK package of changes will be important in terms of Turkey’s international standing in education. “When they return to their countries after completing their education, they will use the skills and knowledge they have gained here over there, thus becoming representatives of our country. This is very influential in terms of marketing Turkey and increasing tolerance and empathy for Turkey,” Eke said. “Instead of people from the Far East traveling to Europe for a more expensive education, they will receive education of the same standard in Turkey. This will give Turkey more of a say in the international education arena.”