Strong Emphasis on Cooperation with NGOs from Turkish Maarif Foundation

April 01, 2026

Turkish Maarif Foundation held the 4th Consultation Meeting on Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organizations at its headquarters in Istanbul in order to strengthen its collaborations with civil society organizations. Representatives of 60 NGOs, which have cooperation protocols with Turkish Maarif Foundation and carry out joint activities in different fields, attended the meeting. The meeting, also attended by Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation, addressed the development of existing collaborations, the creation of new partnership areas, and increasing the contribution of civil society to Türkiye’s educational activities abroad.

During the meeting, the importance of enhancing the quality of Türkiye’s international educational activities, making more effective use of the experience and capacity of civil society, and acting jointly as a “soft power” element was emphasized.

“The strength of the Maarif Foundation grows through cooperation”

Mahmut M. Özdil, President of Turkish Maarif Foundation, drew attention to the foundation’s unique structure and international activities, stating that they are strengthening Türkiye’s global presence in education. Özdil described the current position and priorities of the foundation with the following words: “As of today, we operate in 66 countries around the world. In 56 of these, educational activities are actively ongoing. Our number of students has exceeded 75,000 and the number of educational institutions has surpassed 600. These numerical indicators place Turkish Maarif Foundation among the top five international school networks. While we should not underestimate this importance, we must not forget that the true value lies in the content of the activities. All our efforts are focused on taking measures to improve the quality of education and ensuring the strongest possible support of our civil society organizations in this process.”

Emphasizing the strategic importance of collaborations with civil society, Özdil noted that these partnerships enable Türkiye to use its capacity more effectively, stating: “As Turkish Maarif Foundation, we are in an advantageous position; however, one of the most important of these advantages is our cooperation with NGOs. Today, we collaborate with more than 70 NGOs from Türkiye. These partnerships are crucial not only for maintaining current activities but also for strengthening our future projections. Especially from Africa to Europe, through models we have established with civil society, we achieve sustainable and effective results in many areas, from teacher support to curriculum.”

“NGOs acting together produce stronger results”

Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation, stated in his speech that solidarity among NGOs has increased significantly in recent years and that this unity is a major gain for Türkiye. Erdoğan made evaluations regarding the capacity of civil society to act together: “Bringing our civil society organizations together has long been a practice we have tried to strengthen. Thankfully, instead of structures that do not know each other or have little interaction, a structure has emerged where organizations come together more, develop joint projects, and establish consultation mechanisms. Today, the fact that hundreds of NGOs can gather around a platform and demonstrate a common stance on important issues is the result of this effort.”

Pointing to Türkiye’s role and responsibilities in the face of global developments, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of civil society in this process, stating: “The world is entering a period with much more conflict and imbalance. In such an environment, it is crucial for Türkiye to maintain its strong economic and political stance. Türkiye is now a country recognized by everyone as a regional power. For this power to be effective, we must act together with our NGOs and be more active in regions where we have historical and cultural ties. I find it extremely valuable that these consultations turn into concrete collaborations.”

Erdoğan concluded his speech by thanking Turkish Maarif Foundation for bringing together Türkiye’s leading NGOs.

Call for cooperation from NGO representatives

During the consultation session of the meeting, NGO representatives shared their views on improving cooperation with Turkish Maarif Foundation. Participants emphasized the importance of increasing joint projects, particularly in areas such as education, youth, protection of family structure, and international student mobility. A representative of the Istanbul Family Foundation stated that joint projects could be developed with Turkish Maarif Foundation to protect family structure and highlighted the need for awareness activities targeting youth, families, and education administrators in the countries where the foundation operates. The President of the Turkish Foundation for Gifted and Talented Children expressed appreciation for the global educational activities of Turkish Maarif Foundation and stated their readiness to cooperate in identifying gifted students abroad and bringing them to Türkiye. The Vice Chairman of MÜSİAD also noted that, as the business community, they closely follow Maarif schools during international visits and emphasized that these schools should be supported. He added that businesspeople would be encouraged to contribute to Turkish Maarif Foundation schools.

The meeting concluded with an exchange of views and an evaluation of cooperation opportunities.