June 26, 2024
The Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMV), which ranks among the top five in the world in terms of its network of international schools, will start implementing its new curriculum in the field of "artificial intelligence" in pilot schools in the 2024-2025 academic year.
TMV President Birol Akgün told AA correspondent about the new period works of the Maarif Foundation, which has been 8 years since its establishment.
Stating that the Turkish Maarif Foundation was established on June 17, 2016 with the law adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly to provide education abroad at all levels from kindergarten to university, Akgün said that they have been working to become an international education brand that provides permanent, sustainable and quality education that can properly represent Turkey abroad.
Stating that the foundation carries out its activities through two channels, Akgün emphasized that they first transferred FETÖ-affiliated schools to the Turkish Maarif Foundation and opened their own schools in line with Turkey's foreign policy and strategic goals.
Stating that they have been working intensively with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the transfer of FETÖ-affiliated schools since their establishment, Akgün continued as follows:
"As a foundation, we have taken over 230 schools from FETÖ in 21 countries. With the educational achievements we have achieved in the schools we have opened, the schools of the Turkish Maarif Foundation are now understood when 'Turkish schools' are mentioned abroad. The Turkish flag hangs in these schools, they represent Turkey, and the Maarif Foundation schools are used as official venues for all kinds of national holiday celebrations and representations, including our embassies. The Maarif Foundation Schools are one of the most successful moves of the state in the last 10 years in terms of education services abroad in the fight against FETÖ. Our schools offer a great opportunity for Turkey, a global power, to develop all kinds of relations in the international arena."
Explaining that they have concentrated their educational services mostly in Turkey's close geography, Akgün said that they have opened schools all over the Balkans, from Iraq to Georgia, from Central Asia to the USA, and that they carry out education and training activities in 26 countries in Africa.
Akgün said, "Today, we provide education services in 52 countries in 6 continents with more than 53 thousand students, 447 schools, 1 university, 19 education centers, 11 Turkey Research Centers, 39 dormitories in many different geographies of the world."
"There are many countries that want to learn the story behind success"
Underlining that they also continue to work on the International Maarif Program (IM), Akgün said that by the time the Turkish Maarif Foundation reaches its 10th year, they aim to have a unique international education curriculum originating from Turkey ready with the entire accreditation system.
Stating that a new report issued by the European Union Institute for Security Studies included Turkey's activities in the international arena under the title "Turkey's cards in the world", Akgün said that the report includes the work of all institutions up to the Turkish Maarif Foundation as Turkey's institutions producing services abroad in detail.
Pointing out that they provide modern and quality education to around 20 thousand African students in 26 countries in Africa alone, Akgün said, "There are many countries that want to learn the story behind this success. They want to cooperate with us and benefit from our experience. This is reflected in reports and books. As Maarif Foundation, we are honored to be a part of this success story."
"We established a special unit for teaching Turkish"
Stating that one of the most important distinguishing features of their schools in the international arena is the teaching of Turkish, Akgün made the following evaluations:
"We did a great deal of work on teaching Turkish as a foreign language in formal education and established a special unit. We prepared a curriculum within the framework of the international language education standards of the Council of Europe. Then we started to produce books and course materials. We currently have around 152 educational materials. One of the most important aspects of Turkey's 'educational diplomacy' is the dissemination of Turkish abroad and the Maarif Foundation is successfully carrying out this task."
"The logic of artificial intelligence is much more important than the application of technology"
Birol Akgün also answered questions about the work they carry out in schools in the field of artificial intelligence in education.
Stating that as an institution working in the international arena, they closely follow the developments in the field of artificial intelligence, Akgün said that during the pandemic period, they used distance education methods without interrupting the relationship with the students by using all available technological opportunities and prevented the loss of education.
Reminding that they brought together artificial intelligence experts from major countries in the world at the Education Summit, which they organized in Istanbul in 2022 and whose main topic was "artificial intelligence and education", Akgün said that they also had the opportunity to learn closely about the developments in the US and Europe as well as the applications of artificial intelligence in China in the field of education at the conference held in Hong Kong.
"Therefore, there is a great trend in the world in terms of digital literacy and the use of artificial intelligence from primary school onwards," Akgün said, adding that they have seen Chinese experts working in this field at the OECD and the Council of Europe.
Akgün stated that after all this preliminary preparation process, they continued to work intensively in the field of artificial intelligence and digitalization in Maarif Foundation Schools and continued as follows:
"After seeing the developments in the world, we have formed an artificial intelligence working group at the Maarif Foundation Headquarters. We are creating artificial intelligence course curriculum and course materials for the 1st grades of high school to be used in some of our pilot schools in the 2024-2025 academic year. We are also working closely with an expert team from the USA. We are preparing the curriculum, textbooks and teacher handbooks in a collaborative effort, and we will start training the teachers who will teach this course at the beginning of September. As of next year, we will be moving the artificial intelligence curriculum from high schools to middle schools, and we want to spread digital competence and artificial intelligence education to all levels of education. For example, we need to teach how this can be transferred to technology in math lessons, and the logic of algorithmic thinking in social studies lessons. The logic of artificial intelligence is very different from technological design and the digital world requires a unique mental preparation.
In the field of artificial intelligence, we are also working closely with the Board of Education within the framework of the Ministry of National Education's new curriculum. They also have good work, and we are in contact with them as well. As Turkey, we have no chance to miss the digital age. In the field of artificial intelligence, humanity is going through a leap period at least as important as the industrial revolution."
"We will not give up classical education"
Underlining that they will not give up classical education on artificial intelligence, Akgün used the following expressions:
"Because the ability to think, the philosophy is given there. But we also need to build the minds of new generations in accordance with the education system of tomorrow. If we do not teach mathematical thinking and coding to our children, we all inevitably have to use the technology that has already emerged. Then we become passive and consumer individuals. If we are to increase our national income, that is, if we are to remain competitive in the international arena, we need to raise new generations who can design technology, especially artificial intelligence, and who can think computationally."
In addition to the work of the Ministry of National Education in the field of artificial intelligence, the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) also opened new departments in this field for the first time, Akgün said, "We are also establishing an infrastructure that follows the current in the field of artificial intelligence as Turkey's gateway to abroad."
