Objectives

Education lays at the heart of the Organization of Turkic States’ mission and the Organization has consistently prioritized educational collaboration among its Member States and Observers. Educational sphere is important because it does not only concern cooperation among OTS governments, but also has direct impact on people and future of the Turkic generation.

Common culture, language and history of the Turkic States are the main pillars that underpin the cooperation within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, making this regional cooperation unique in comparison to others. The area is one of the best tools for social change, economic development, and prosperity in the OTS countries.

Mechanisms

Through various mechanisms such as regular Ministerial and Working Group Meetings, Turkic Universities Union (TURKUNIB) and the Orkhun Process – the OTS is driving education cooperation to enhance academic collaboration, promote student and faculty exchange, and harmonize educational standards across the Turkic world, thereby fostering a shared knowledge base and strengthening cultural and academic ties among its Member States and Observers.

Ministerial Meetings

The Organization of Turkic States holds Ministerial Meetings on educational issues to develop and implement special programs that help young Turkic generations to join the existing educational system. 

Since 2010, eight meetings of the Ministers of Education of the Member States were held:

• 1^st Meeting of Ministers of Education was held on 10 August 2012 in Cholpon-Ata;
• 2^nd Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 22 November 2013 in Eskişehir;
• 3^rd Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 28 November 2014 in Baku;
• 4^th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 5 September 2015 in Astana;
• 5^th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 15 March 2019 in Bishkek;
• 6^th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 4 November 2021 in Istanbul;
• 7^th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 14 June 2023 in Samarkand;
• 8^th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 1 June 2024 in Shusha.

During the last Meeting of the Ministers of Education, in order to strengthen cooperation within the Turkic Higher Education Area, it was proposed to establish the Turkic World Higher Education Area, the Data Bank, the creation of the Turkic World Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency, and the Higher Education Foundation of the OTS.

At the moment, the Parties are creating the Working Group to work on these proposals and further strengthen academic collaboration and education cooperation of the OTS in general.

Projects

The main goal is not just to cooperate within the framework of established platforms within the OTS, but to develop concrete results, mechanisms and projects that would be useful for the students and academicians.

Cooperation among Universities 

Structuring an inter-university union for the universities of the OTS Member States with a view to strengthening the existing cooperation among the institutions of higher education has been on the agenda of the Organization since its establishment. 

TURKUNIB was established through the Directive on the establishment of the Turkic Universities Union and Higher Education Area upon the decisions of the Meeting of the Ministers of Education of the OTS held on 10 August 2012 in Cholpan-Ata, as well as the 2^nd Summit of the OTS held on 23 August 2012 in Bishkek, marking a significant milestone in collective commitment to higher education in the Turkic world.

So far, 7 General Assemblies of the Turkic Universities Union (TURKUNIB), as well as 1 Special meeting of Rectors were conducted. The last General Assembly was held in Baku on 20 May 2024.

Orkhun Process 

The TURKUNIB has many lines of action, one of them is the Orkhun Exchange Program. 

Over the past years, the Organization of Turkic States convened a variety of different thematic meetings aiming at integrating diverse educational modalities of the member universities, such as the Bologna Process, Erasmus Plus, and the European Credit Transfer System. These meetings included different sectoral and technical gatherings, field studies on the spot, and extraordinary conventions. As a result, the parties adopted the regulation of the program, which was a massive step in its realization. The sides started the pilot phase of the project in the academic year 2017-2018, during which 43 students of member universities from the departments of International Relations and Political Science benefited from the program.

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The Organization of Turkic States demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering education cooperation among its Member States and Observers through a multifaceted approach that includes ministerial meetings, cooperating among universities, and the implementation of programs like the Orkhun Exchange Program. These efforts are not only reinforcing academic ties and harmonizing educational standards across the Turkic world but also actively contributing to the social and economic development of the region. By continuing to develop concrete projects and initiatives, the OTS is ensuring that education remains a cornerstone of its mission, driving progress and unity for future generations of the Turkic community.