Turkey’s engagement in international education as an emerging donor country: action, rationale and potential future development

ABSTRACT

Education aid comprises an essential part of Turkey’s overall development assistance, often given special attention as a part of its soft power and public diplomacy. The current study aims to examine Turkey’s activism in international education through education aid. It is argued that Turkey’s rise as an education aid donor country is mainly the result of a transformation in its foreign policy, of which education aid is an increasingly prominent part. Recipient needs, fragile state priority, cultural affinity, and donor self-interest are the primary rationales for the provision of education aid, and its sustainability depends on solving certain substantial economic and geopolitical issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Education aid
• international education
• middle powers
• development assistance
• Turkey

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the reviewers and editors for their constructive feedback, suggestions and valuable comments. The author would also like to thank Dr Cihangir-Tetik and Dr Müftüler Baç for granting their permission to utilize Figure 7 (Figure 1 in the current study) in their study (Cihangir-Tetik and Müftüler Baç 2021).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yakup Öz

Yakup Öz, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Sciences at Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University, Turkey. His research interests lie in the area of internationalization of higher education, student engagement in higher education, public diplomacy, European studies, and comparative and international education.