In his written statement, Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer drew attention to the fact that the problems experienced on a global scale in the food supply chain brought the field of agriculture and livestock to the fore, and said:
“As the Ministry, we have implemented unique projects in order to contribute to the training of qualified human resources in the field of agriculture and to make our country an agricultural base by restructuring agricultural high schools. In this context, the number of our 72 schools in the field of agriculture in 2020 will reach 144 in 2023 with an increase of 100 percent. In addition, we continue to work on the opening of 3 new schools.”
Emphasizing that the agricultural high schools, which they have increased in number, in order to use Turkey’s agricultural production and animal breeding potential more effectively and efficiently, Özer said:
“While 633 students settled in the 9th grade in the 2020-2021 academic year, the number of students who preferred these schools in the 2022-2023 academic year reached 2,614. Again, in the 2015-2016 academic year, a total of 3,630 students were enrolled in various branches of agriculture. While receiving education, this number increased to 10,354 in the 2022-2023 academic year with the new agricultural fields and thematic agriculture vocational and technical Anatolian high schools opened within the scope of vocational and technical Anatolian high schools.
Minister Özer reminded that 5 thematic agriculture vocational and technical Anatolian high schools were opened in 5 provinces to accept students as of the 2023-2024 academic year and gave the following information:
Gaziosmanpaşa University Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Tokat, Agricultural Technologies Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Adıyaman, Ardanuç Agricultural Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Artvin and Yusufeli Agricultural Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Ordu, Yeşil Fatsa Vocational and Technical High School in Ordu. Anatolian High School and six thematic agricultural high schools, including olive cultivation, were opened in the Gemlik district of Bursa.Of these schools, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, which was opened in cooperation with the university and the Ministry, is given English preparatory education in the field of agriculture, and AR- With our new schools that will start education in the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of students studying in the field of agriculture will increase even more.”
Özer stated that the opening works of two new schools, namely Agricultural Technologies Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Denizli’s Baklan district, Göle Agricultural Technologies Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Ardahan’s Göle district, are continuing.
Noting that he made a visit to the Netherlands in October to examine the Wageningen University, which is considered the best university in the world in the field of agriculture, and the ‘World Horti Center’, where innovative agricultural practices are carried out and where the sector and educational institutions are located together, Özer stated that he visited the Netherlands in Aksu district of Antalya. He announced that efforts are underway to open a new school with the theme of Agricultural Education Campus in Antalya in order to implement the Dutch model of agriculture and livestock studies in Turkey, to increase the quality of vocational education in the fields of agriculture and animal breeding and health, and to strengthen the relations between the labor market and vocational education.
Stating that some of the agricultural field teachers were sent to the Netherlands as part of the Erasmus Accreditation on-the-job observation project for the development of special field competencies in order to implement the Dutch model in Turkey, Özer shared the following information:
“There are arable lands ranging from 30 decares to 800 decares in schools with existing agricultural areas. Our schools, which have a total of 4 million square meters of land, are still planting grain products such as rye, paddy, potatoes, wheat, barley, as well as horticultural and ornamental plants, greenhouse cultivation. Many activities are carried out such as fruit growing, animal breeding, soil analysis, seed studies etc. Due to the grain and wheat crisis that has recently developed in the world, wheat was planted on 575 decares of land last year to meet the flour needs of vocational education institutions. wheat was planted.
Production income of agricultural high schools exceeded 3 million
Referring to the production capacity of schools with agricultural areas, Özer continued as follows:
“While our 2017 production income was 1 million 329 thousand liras, this amount increased to 7 million 926 thousand liras by the end of 2022. In the field of animal breeding in our schools in the past years, cattle and ovine breeding were almost non-existent, but today, 200 cattle, 250 sheep and 6 thousand poultry are almost non-existent. “We continue to work on increasing this number day by day. In addition, practices such as silkworm breeding and beekeeping, which are prominent in different geographies of our country, continue in our agricultural schools, which have animal breeding areas.”
Paradigm change in the field of R&D and industrial property
Noting that another paradigm shift in vocational and technical education has been experienced in the field of R&D and industrial property, Özer said, “Raising qualified generations who have adopted the R&D culture is among the most important goals of our Ministry.” used the phrases.
Özer reminded that 58 R&D centers were established within the schools of vocational and technical education in 27 provinces in order for teachers and students to design new products in the qualified R&D and innovation fields that Turkey needs, and to transform these products into an economic value by obtaining their intellectual property rights. continued:
“A work area has been determined for each R&D center. 341 projects have been developed in 12 areas in R&D centers, 109 products have been produced, and the production process of 232 products is continuing. 5 of these centers are our schools that provide education for the agricultural sector. In addition, our schools with agricultural areas have their own It signs cooperation protocols with non-governmental organizations and the relevant sector in its regions. With this cooperation, our students are offered scholarship, education and internship opportunities.”