site.btaCooperation in Education and Science Discussed with Turkiye

Bulgaria and Turkiye are considering an expansion of their joint activities in science and education, including vocational training. The matter topped the agenda of talks in Sofia between Deputy Education and Science Ministers Genka Petrova and Marieta Georgieva and a delegation of the Turkish Ministry of National Education led by Deputy Minister Nazif Yilmaz, the Bulgarian side reported on Tuesday.

In 1997, the two neighbours' governments signed an indefinite Agreement on Cooperation in Education, Science and Culture. At present, Bulgarian institutions of higher learning enroll 437 Turkish citizens, and 65 people from Turkiye are in the process of graduating here, Petrova said. There are also 21 Turkish doctoral candidates specializing in medicine and engineering sciences, as usual. Bulgarian and Turkish universities are working on 60 joint research projects in such areas as clean energy, climate, the environment, future and emerging technologies, and seafaring.

The two countries are engaged in active exchange under the EU's Erasmus+ Programme. A total of 6,080 young Turkish citizens and 3,077 educators have visited Bulgaria under this programme over the last 10 years.

Yilmaz proposed expanding bilateral cooperation to include secondary education, specifically vocational training. He said Turkiye is interested in Bulgaria's expertise in agriculture and the IT sector, which, he said, are very well developed here.

According to Georgieva, Bulgaria and Turkiye have implemented 77 projects for bilateral exchange in school education over the last few years, which have involved 800 participants from Turkiye. This includes 15 vocational training projects with 400 participants. Georgieva noted that a major reform is underway in Bulgaria to broaden the scope of vocational training.

Bulgaria and Turkiye are also doing a lot of work together in the field of science. Research organizations in the two countries have published more than 1,700 joint reports.