Highlights from President Erdoğan's statements are as follows: Esteemed administrators of our Council of Higher Education and universities, valued academics, dear young people, the guarantee of our future, I greet you all with my most heartfelt feelings, respect, and affection. I am delighted to be with you on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the new academic year. Welcome to our Presidential Complex, the home of the nation, this historic site, and you have brought me joy.

I hope that the 2025-2026 Higher Education Academic Year will be beneficial for our professors, students, and university staff, as well as for our country and nation. I wholeheartedly believe that both our professors and students will make the most of the new academic year and wish each of them the best possible success. I also congratulate the scientists and universities to whom we will be presenting the Council of Higher Education's 2025 Outstanding Achievement Awards. At the outset of my speech, I would like to express my joy at the good news received from Sharm el-Sheikh last night and today.

HAMAS-ISRAEL AGREEMENT

As you know, we have been working diligently for a long time to halt the bloodshed in Gaza and establish a ceasefire. First, we held a meeting on Gaza at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which Mr. Trump also attended. Then, during our visit to Washington, we discussed Gaza again with Mr. Trump and his delegation at the White House. Mr. Trump then announced a 20-point peace plan, and Hamas announced its readiness for negotiations. Following yesterday's agreement, thankfully, the signing of the agreement took place today.

Türkiye WILL ALSO BE IN THE TASK FORCE

We are very pleased with the agreement, to which we have actively contributed from the outset. From now on, it is crucial that comprehensive humanitarian aid be urgently delivered to Gaza, hostage and prisoner exchanges be carried out, Israel immediately ceases its attacks, and a withdrawal to designated lines is ensured. We will meticulously monitor the strict implementation of the agreed-upon provisions of the agreement. As Turkey, we will, God willing, be a part of the task force that will monitor the implementation of the agreement on the ground.

We will support reconstruction efforts with the international community to help Gaza rebuild. Our goal is to end the genocide and bring peace to the region as quickly as possible. Our brothers and sisters in Gaza are the nation most deserving of peace, tranquility, and security in the world.

With God's permission, we will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the smiles that have blossomed on the faces of the oppressed people of Gaza, especially the innocent children of Gaza, who are now smiling for the first time in two years, never fade. I thank US President Trump for his strong resolve in encouraging the Israeli government to agree to a ceasefire. I extend my equal gratitude to Qatar and Egypt for their significant contributions to reaching the agreement. I wholeheartedly congratulate the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, for their astute and prudent stance.

I congratulate and thank the negotiating team and all the actors who played a facilitating role in the process. I once again respectfully salute our Palestinian brothers and sisters, who have remained resolute and resolute for two years, despite all forms of barbarism, oppression, massacres, and genocide.

Türkiye will stand with the Palestinian people, just as it did yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and will never abandon them. I pray that God will make this agreement a blessing for the Palestinian people. I pray for God's mercy upon the more than 67,000 martyrs who fell to the ground.

"WE ARE THE HEIRS OF A VERY RICH ACQUISITION"

My esteemed scholars, we are all heirs to a deep-rooted past, a great civilization, and a rich heritage of scholars, wise men, and educational institutions. Especially since the 11th century, this place has been the origin, the starting point, of new works and new ideas that brought reason and conscience together, crowning knowledge with forbearance. Our ancestors, recognizing knowledge as lost property, have adorned our garden of civilization with the flowers of knowledge throughout the ages, gifting the world and humanity with new values. I would also like to draw attention to a point often overlooked. The Azamiye Complex, built by Al-Khwarizmi on the orders of Sultan Alp Arslan next to the tomb of Abu Hanifa, is the first Seljuk madrasa in Baghdad. This madrasa was founded on May 15, 1067, approximately five months before the Nizamiye Madrasa, known today as the first educational institution. Our educational institutions, which have made significant contributions to the world of science and whose numbers have increased over time, have influenced a wide geography in a short time and have become a role model for European countries with their institutional structure.

"WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE THROUGHOUT HISTORY TO BE IGNORED"

The Ottoman Empire has continued such a strong, ancient, and influential scholarly tradition. With the Orhan Gazi and Süleymaniye madrasahs, and numerous other educational centers in Bursa, Edirne, Istanbul, and many other locations, our spiritual landscape, especially the Balkans, has been gradually and meticulously crafted. Thousands of scholars and students from around the world have come to these institutions for education, contributing to the collective heritage of humanity. The high regard for knowledge and scholars in our faith and culture, and the constant respect shown to scholars, plays a significant role in this.

However, we also know that because we haven't been sufficiently effective in writing the history of science, we struggle to convey to the world the unique contributions these lands have made to global science. We must not allow our contributions to science throughout history to be overlooked, and we must patiently and confidently continue to communicate them, especially to our youth.

"WE ACT WITH A BRAND NEW VISION"

My esteemed professors and dear students, we are working resolutely to build a bright future inspired by the past and to elevate Türkiye's current level of higher education. From technical and physical infrastructure to faculty, from curriculum to dormitory and accommodation facilities, we are operating with a fresh vision in every area.

Thankfully, we were the government that placed the greatest importance on education and made the largest investments in it during the Republican era. And we are always proud of this.

"OUR HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET HAS REACHED 488.5 BILLION LIRA TODAY"

To help you understand where we've come from, I'd like to share some figures with you very briefly. Look, in 2002, the budget allocated to higher education was only 2.5 billion lira. Today, our higher education budget has reached a whopping 488.5 billion lira.

"WE HAVE 208 HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS"

Twenty-three years ago, we had 76 universities. Today, we have 208 higher education institutions, 79 foundation and 129 state universities, across all 81 provinces. This means that all young people who want to study, regardless of their family's financial situation, can now easily access higher education opportunities, often within their own provinces. Another important point is this: Our universities are climbing global rankings every year. We anticipate that by 2029, at least two of our universities will be in the top 100, and at least 10 will be in the top 500. This is also crucial. As you know, for decades, science, the problems of scientists, and the quality of our universities were not discussed in this country. Unfortunately, universities have been in the news for years with dress code bans, persuasion rooms, and student protests. We have put an end to this distortion.

We eliminated both the coefficient inequality and the dress code bans that were a nasty legacy of the February 28th mentality. Today, over 7 million students across our country can freely pursue their university education. We quadrupled the net enrollment rate for young people aged 18-22, from 13 percent to 50 percent. We also reduced the gap in access to higher education between men and women in this age group to zero.

During the same period, we increased the number of our academic staff from 76,000 to 186,000. From where to where? We also made significant strides in housing and scholarships. We increased our total number of dormitories to 875 and our bed capacity to 1 million. Thus, we eliminated a potential avenue for exploitation that the main opposition and fringe organizations had been clamoring for at the beginning of every academic year.

We've also resolved the issue of university tuition. Is tuition a problem now? No. We've also expanded loan and scholarship opportunities for our university students. We now offer loans or scholarships to every student who applies. Dear professors, of course, we're not content with just that. We're integrating big data, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and digital learning technologies into our universities. Currently, over 100 of our universities offer undergraduate and associate degree programs based on artificial intelligence and informatics. We're strengthening the digital infrastructure of our educational institutions and expanding open science and e-learning platforms.

"WE IMPLEMENTED THE ORGANIZED INDUSTRIAL ZONE, VOCATIONAL SCHOOL MODEL"

Another issue we're focusing on is university-industry collaboration. The wounds inflicted on vocational education by the February 28th coup attempt have still not fully healed. Even today, we feel the negative impact of the coefficient policy, implemented solely to hinder the growth of religious vocational schools, on employment. While the real sector is struggling to find personnel, especially on production lines, our youth are suffering from unemployment. We are implementing policies to address this discrepancy. We have implemented the organized industrial zone and vocational school model, where our students apply their theoretical knowledge in an industrial setting. The employment rate of students studying at these schools has already reached 80 percent. We have accelerated our efforts to ensure that at least one vocational school in every city operates in coordination with the provincial chamber of industry. We will continue to pave the way for our youth and universities through the steps we take and the regulations we implement in many other areas.

"WE AIM TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN OUR COUNTRY TO 1 MILLION"

Esteemed guests, at this point, I would like to emphasize our efforts regarding the internationalization of higher education. Today, there are nearly 8 million international students worldwide. Turkey ranks sixth in the world with over 350,000 guest students. Ninety-five percent of these students, who come from 198 countries, are self-employed. They cover their tuition, dormitory, rent, food, and all other expenses out of their own pockets. International students in our country contribute over $3 billion annually to the Turkish economy. The global higher education economy exceeds $370 billion. As you can see, there is significant potential waiting to be tapped. We intend to fully utilize this potential. We aim to increase the number of international students in our country to 500,000 in the medium term and to 1 million in the long term.

Now, when we speak so assertively, some immediately appear to criticize us and incite our youth against us. Yet, the vision we present is not one to be criticized, but rather one to be admired. I would like to remind those who fail to grasp our vision of global education of the following: The quotas allocated to visiting students are completely separate from those allocated to our citizens. In other words, no one is infringing on anyone else's rights, nor is they usurping the rights of our youth. These brothers and sisters, who come to our country from different continents as academics, students, and interns, are making significant contributions to Turkish universities.

I emphasize this point: Over 150,000 of our Turkish graduates play critical roles in strengthening relations between their countries and Turkey. Everywhere we go, we encounter Turkish graduates who speak Turkish, think in Turkish, work tirelessly to contribute to their homeland and our relations, and pray for Turkey.

No matter what they do, those who target our international students with lumpen racism and a narrow perspective will not be able to stop Türkiye's march towards becoming a leading country in international education.

Of course, I must emphasize this here: It is crucial to define the goals and objectives of international student policies and ensure inter-institutional harmony and coordination. As interest in our universities grows from the Turkic world to Africa, the Balkans to Latin America, the Middle East to South Asia, we must utilize our human capital in the most effective way. We must seek ways to attract more qualified students to our country.

Another significant development that strengthens the international standing of our higher education system is this: In recent years, our universities have begun expanding their campuses abroad and establishing new academic units in various corners of our cultural geography. We are taking steps to enhance our academic and cultural collaborations with member countries of the Organization of Turkic States. Last year, the Turkey-Azerbaijan University opened in Baku and began teaching. The International University of Turkic States, established in Tashkent on January 27, is another step forward. The Turkey-Syria Friendship University, currently under construction, will, God willing, open its doors to students in Damascus very soon.

With the opening of faculties affiliated with our universities in Kazakhstan, Somalia, the Philippines, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, we have become a country that exports higher education. On behalf of my nation, I congratulate all the institutions, universities, and professors who contributed to these efforts, especially our Council of Higher Education.

POSSIBILITY OF GRADUATION IN 3 YEARS

Esteemed guests, a university that is isolated from society, distant from the nation, and distant from the realities of its city, country, and nation contradicts the very essence of the university concept. A university should be at the forefront of society. It should lead society and develop solutions to its current problems. If not, it is failing to fulfill its fundamental mission. In this regard, we believe it is crucial to expand the applied education model in the workplace, encompassing both associate and undergraduate levels of our higher education system. With this model, we aim to transform internships into workplace-based vocational training. Furthermore, in the upcoming semester, we will simplify course plans and implement application- and research-based learning models that allow our students to develop projects.

One of the most concrete outcomes of this transformation is the introduction of structural reforms that will allow our students to graduate in three years, as in many European countries.

With these reforms, our higher education system will be both more efficient and more compliant with international standards. I wish our new regulations auspicious and auspicious outcomes. With these thoughts in mind, I hope the 2025-2026 academic year will once again be auspicious. I wholeheartedly wish success to our faculty, students, and university staff. I once again greet you with respect and love. Thank you, may you prosper, and may God protect you.