The Maarif Agency, under the Türkiye Maarif Foundation (TMV), held an education fair in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia on May 24, to promote Turkish universities and expand international student outreach.
The fair’s opening ceremony welcomed Türkiye’s Ambassador to Tunisia Ahmet Misbah Demircan, TMV Board Member professor Mehmet Özkan, several rectors from Turkish universities, local representatives of Turkish institutions, students and their families.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Ambassador Demircan said the interest of international students in Türkiye is vital for the country’s educational diplomacy.
"Currently, 350,000 international students are studying in Türkiye," he said. "We are working to reach President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan’s goal of 500,000. Reaching this number swiftly and efficiently is a shared duty for all of us."
Özkan noted that the foundation does more than open international schools abroad. "The Türkiye Maarif Foundation is also focused on increasing the number of international students in Türkiye. These fairs are part of our broader effort to attract students from all over the world," he said.
Sebahattin Zaim University’s international relations coordinator, Nasibe Aludatallah Gadban, said they joined the fair to introduce their university and provide guidance to Tunisian students interested in studying in Türkiye.
This year marked the third edition of the fair. Participating institutions included Eastern Mediterranean, Istanbul Medipol, Yüksek Ihtisas, Bursa Uludağ, Gebze Technical, TOBB, European University of Lefke, METU, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy, TED, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım, Istanbul Ticaret, Izmir University of Economics, Sebahattin Zaim, Gelişim, Anadolu, Kafkas, OSTIM Technical and Okan universities.
