Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, the president of Turkey’s Council of Higher Education (YÖK), recently visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to attend a major education meeting called the “Extended Higher Education Meeting.” The event was organized by the TRNC’s Ministry of National Education.

Before the meeting, Prof. Özvar had a private discussion with TRNC’s Minister of National Education, Nazım Çavuşoğlu. The main meeting brought together top officials from YÖK, TRNC’s Higher Education Planning and Evaluation Board (YÖDAK), university leaders from TRNC, and representatives from the Turkish Embassy. Their goal was to talk about problems facing TRNC’s universities and find ways to solve them together.

During his speech, Minister Çavuşoğlu stressed the need for closer cooperation with Turkey’s YÖK to improve education quality and help TRNC universities attract more international students. He mentioned that student numbers are growing, but challenges like better supervision, digital tools, and teamwork between institutions must be addressed to keep up.

Prof. Özvar talked about global changes in higher education and shared Turkey’s plans to focus on digital skills, innovation, global recognition, and quality checks. He praised the existing partnership with TRNC and announced new steps to link TRNC universities with Turkey’s digital systems, like YÖKAS (for student admissions) and YÖKSİS (for data management). He also promised support for TRNC universities to attract more foreign students and join international academic networks.

Two TRNC universities are now part of the Turkish University Union, and Prof. Özvar assured continued backing for universities that meet quality standards set by YÖDAK and the Ministry. Both leaders agreed on a shared goal: building a stronger, more competitive higher education system in TRNC that focuses on transparency, student needs, and teamwork across the region.