World Association of Education Entrepreneurs Established

The World Association of Education Entrepreneurs has been established by Enver Yücel, Chairman of TÖDER and Bahçeşehir Uğur Educational Institutions, and Gene Eidelman, President of Mosaica Schools USA, to encourage education entrepreneurs worldwide to take initiatives to improve quality and to support the expansion of public-private partnerships.

The "World Association of Education Entrepreneurs", to be co-chaired by Enver Yücel and Gene Eidelman, was established at a meeting held at the Ceylan InterContinental Hotel in Istanbul. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Muammer Yıldızsaid: "We continue to pursue our educational mission in Istanbul with a very large number of teachers and students. It is not possible to achieve our educational goals by merely carrying out routine tasks. Fundamental approaches in education are very important to us. I would like to thank TÖDER Chairman Enver Yücel for introducing our country to the world and enabling us to collaborate with them."

"EDUCATION IS THE TOP PRIORITY FOR ALL COUNTRIES"

Enver Yücel, Chairman of TÖDER and Bahçeşehir Uğur Educational Institutions, began his remarks by saying, "As the world's 17th largest economy and its second fastest-growing economy, we also want to become a center of attraction in the field of education. Today, I am delighted to establish such a significant association here in Istanbul together with participants from different countries around the world," and continued, "When the citizens of a country receive a good education, it brings undeniable benefits to that country's economic and cultural development. It also helps establish political stability and balance."

Yücel noted that the growing number of private education institutions contribute to education across a wide range of areas such as school management, teaching, exam preparation, distance education and curriculum development, but do so as individual initiatives, and went on to say: "No matter how excellent the education we provide, our efforts will be in vain if quality education is not delivered nationwide. Education is the top priority for all countries. We must attach great importance to school leaders and teachers. We must train them well. This is one of the most important purposes behind the establishment of the World Association of Education Entrepreneurs today.""

WE WILL SHARE OUR COMMON VALUES

Drawing attention to the ever-increasing need for education, Yücel said, "Today, the world's total economic output is not sufficient to provide quality education. This situation will continue to intensify with each passing day. Therefore, we can never waste resources."

Pointing out that all the children of the world are brothers and sisters, Yücel said that every child has the right to receive quality education. Yücel added, "We will proclaim to the whole world that we will share our common values," he said.

"KNOWLEDGE NOW MOVES VERY FAST"

Gene Eidelman, President of Mosaica Schools USA, said: "This idea developed only very recently. While we were thinking about how to get started, we found ourselves at the stage of establishing the association. Educators everywhere in the world are dealing with the same problems. The system often falls short. We will wait for innovation to happen. We are at a very critical point. Everyone here has a very difficult job. But entrepreneurship is what revitalizes and sustains economies. We can look at three points here: innovation, globalization and calibration. When we talk about innovation, we see the need for administrative staff dedicated solely to education. Teachers can still use the methods they used 50 years ago in classrooms today, but the situation is somewhat different for education administrators. Knowledge now moves very fast and changes hands. We must hold on tightly to this concept. In the United States, online education is spreading rapidly. We think this system will grow even further in the coming years."

PURPOSE OF THE ASSOCIATION

The purpose of the association, whose members include education management organizations, preparatory course providers, assessment and curriculum developers, publishers, early childhood education providers and educational technology developers, was explained as follows:

To encourage education entrepreneurs worldwide to take initiatives to improve quality and to support the expansion of public-private partnerships. All K-12 private education institutions around the world and the organizations listed below may become members of the association.

Private schools
Education management organizations
Preparatory course providers
Assessment and curriculum developers/publishers
Educational technology developers and distance education providers
Early childhood education providers

The association will operate according to the following core values:
Striving to enable learning through innovation and research-based methodologies,
Taking responsibility for the success of students all over the world,
Valuing well-managed public-private partnerships,
Sharing best practice models with our members,
Working with the highest ethical standards.

The association's service areas will be as follows:

The association will work for the benefit of its members, thereby directly benefiting students and all clients. Its main services are:
Networking - organizing international conferences and webinars, connecting through social media, benefiting from mentors.
Business Development and Matchmaking - The association will be a hub where new business opportunities are announced, individuals and institutions are brought together, and investors are invited.
Support for Import and Export in Education - education entrepreneurs and institutions will be helped to bring their expertise, capital and resources to the global market
Information and Data - it will be a pool collecting new trends, the activities of private education institutions, and research conducted by various NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and governments. Best practice models and case studies will be offered to sustain innovation in education
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs - professional development programs will be organized for members as well as other NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and policymakers, and workshops will be held to promote innovation and entrepreneurship
Research and Communication - Working with member institutions, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), governments and academic institutions, the association will support research and disseminate global education issues worldwide. It will use communication tools to obtain support from the private sector
Accreditation - The association will encourage member companies to benefit from one or more international education accreditation services to improve their quality
Relations with Governments and Policymakers - as education policies are developed around the world, global education institutions face a number of regulations. The consortium will provide institutions with services such as dealing with policies and consultancy, and will enable them to engage directly with governments when necessary.