Educational Bridges Being Built Between Istanbul and New York

Bahçeşehir University Chairman of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel, who was in New York on an education visit, met with Dennis M. Walcott, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. The meeting evaluated joint educational initiatives and comparative education research that could be carried out in New York and Istanbul.

At the meeting, held at the Department of Education at City Hall, developments in education in Istanbul and Türkiye were discussed, and information was obtained in particular about the education system in New York. Stating that more collaboration and sharing of good practices in education are needed worldwide, BAU Chairman of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel highlighted the importance of conducting education research together with the BAU Faculty of Educational Sciences.

Noting that New York has 1,800 schools and more than one million students, Dennis Walcott underlined that they have a budget of 26 billion dollars and referred to the educational challenges faced in big cities. Stating that schools in New York offer education in 180 different languages, Walcott said that their greatest wish is to close the gap in standards between schools.

Explaining that selective schools in New York admit students by examination and that there are eight such schools in the area, Walcott said: "In addition to the eight elite schools in New York, there are also schools where gifted students are selected through a special exam at the age of 4 and 5. Every country in the world has elite schools that provide special education. These schools have no option other than examinations for selecting students. In addition, the results of other statewide exams are very influential in evaluating teacher and school performance."

Expressing his pleasure at meeting BAU Chairman of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel, Walcott said that he would be delighted to visit Bahçeşehir University and Istanbul as soon as possible.