“Vocational Education Cooperation Protocol Signing Ceremony” was held for Baykar National Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School between the Ministry of National Education and Baykar Makine Sanayi Ticaret AŞ.
Speaking at the ceremony held at Baykar Campus, Özer said that wrong education policies and deliberate educational manipulations cause long-lasting traumas in education systems.
Noting that the coefficient application came into force in 1999, Özer stated that it was eliminated in 2012 with great struggles.
Minister Özer noted that the purpose of the coefficient application was to prevent vocational high school graduates from accessing higher education, and that this had a hidden purpose and implicit intention.
Noting that the implicit intention is for academically successful students to move away from vocational education, Özer said that vocational education has become very disadvantageous because of this.
Özer stated that after the abolition of the coefficient application in 2012, all the Ministers of National Education made great efforts and efforts to strengthen vocational education.
Expressing the work done in education in the last 20 years, Özer emphasized that they wanted private sector representatives to design vocational education together.
Minister Özer said that with the steps taken, vocational high schools are no longer an educational destination for students who cannot settle anywhere.
Emphasizing that these places have turned into a type of high school where young people compete with each other to settle in, Özer said, “We took the first step in the field of defense industry with ASELSAN. Think about it, the only school in Turkey that has become so strong in the field of defense industry, now attaches importance to domestic manufacturing, and provides education in this field. Aselsan Vocational Technical Anatolian High School started to accept students from the first percentile of success,” he said.
“Student began to establish a fair relationship with labor while studying”
Özer also stated that they are trying to increase the production capacity in vocational training.
Expressing that they have 3 purposes in production within the scope of revolving fund, Özer continued as follows:
“First, learning by doing. To be able to place learning by doing at the core and focus of education. Secondly, to synchronize the production of vocational education with the labor market in such a way that after doing this, to increase their employability. Third, as you know, students receive as much as the minimum wage as a contribution to production within the scope of revolving funds. our teachers can earn as much as two minimum wages. With these moves, we increased the production capacity from 200 million (TL) in 2018-2019 to 2 billion in all vocational high schools in Turkey in 2022. Our target this year is 3.5 billion. “We distributed it to students. We distributed approximately 200 million liras to our teachers at vocational high schools. In other words, students started to establish a fair relationship with labor while they were studying.”
Minister Özer stated that after the production capacity in vocational education increased, the R&D period in vocational education started at the same time, “We opened 55 R&D centers in the Kulliye with the presence of our President. R&D has started to be talked about in vocational education. This is history. In other words, we have started to evolve from what was once ‘what will happen to vocational high schools’ to a vocational education where innovative studies are carried out.”
Explaining that the number of products registered by the Ministry of National Education in the early 2000s was 2.9 per year, Özer mentioned that these are patents, utility models, trademarks and designs.
Stating that they closed the year 2022 with 8 thousand 300 intellectual property registrations, Özer said, “And 184 of them have been commercialized. Vocational high schools have started to export abroad now. They do not only export the product. Vocational high schools have become able to produce that product with the machine that produces it. So you are on the way to the producing country. If you set out with a growth claim, if you cannot dynamically produce the corresponding development in the education system, it is not possible for you to make this production sustainable.
Minister Özer stated that before the developments in vocational education, at the end of 2021, the number of masters, journeymen and apprentices in Turkey was 159 thousand, and today it has increased to 1 million 410 thousand.
Noting that Özdemir Bayraktar Aviation and Space Technologies Vocational High School opened in Ankara will start accepting students for the first time this year, Özer said that in order to make this growth sustainable in Baykar, which is the most driving force of defense industry moves, which instills confidence in the citizens of the country and fear in the enemy. He stated that they are on a very important eve for the establishment of the Technology Vocational High School.
“Each student will receive a scholarship equal to the minimum wage”
Minister Özer said that this will be a very special vocational high school and will admit students through exams, and said:
“But not only will students be admitted with the exam, but also the students who are placed through the exam will be interviewed. The second will be a preparatory school. It will be a preparatory school for one year in English. International experts in this field, in the Baykar group, will take classes. Students will not look for a place to receive skills training related to the defense industry from outside. Here they will receive skills training. And each student will be supported with the highest rate of scholarships in our current schools. Currently, we do not have a type of school that receives a minimum wage associated scholarship within the Ministry of Education system, this is the first time this is our school. All students, we will take 50 students, each student He will receive a scholarship equal to the minimum wage. When the minimum wage changes and rises, that scholarship amount will also increase.”
“We must prepare for the future”
Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar said that the country has come to an important position in the world in the development of defense industry products, especially unmanned aerial vehicles.
Stating that the position reached today is indisputably very valuable, especially in terms of independence, Bayraktar said, “However, developing knowledge and technology requires constant effort and attention. For this reason, seeing the information we have and the real point today is the biggest obstacle to our progress and development. “We must continue our work towards the future with passion, plan swiftly and continue to move forward decisively. We must prepare for the future. Continuity and sustainability will be important touchstones on this path. For this, we must use our resources in the most efficient way and improve their quality and quantity.”
Pointing out that their duty is to train young people who will bring new Baykars to the country in a qualified way, Bayraktar explained that they have stepped into cooperation with the Ministry in this direction, which they attach great importance to.
Bayraktar added that they aim to train young people who will carry the country to the future, especially in the field of aviation and space, at Baykar National Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, which they plan to operate in the next academic year.
After the speeches, the relevant protocol was signed by the Minister of National Education Özer and Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar.
At the end of the signing ceremony, the participants took a souvenir photo.
Scholarships will be provided to young people
Within the scope of the protocol, Baykar National Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, which will be opened for the first time in the field of defense, aviation and space in Istanbul, will receive preparatory plus 4 years of education.
Successful students who receive education will be supported with BAYKAR scholarship both in high school and university education.