Turkish Yunus Emre Insititute (YEE) and Brunei Technical Education Institute (IBTE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday aiming to provide students and academics from IBTE and 209 Turkish universities with access to further educational development and exploration opportunities.
According to the written statement issued by the embassy, IBTE Technical Training Director and CEO Hj Zamri Hj Sabli, and Türkiye’s Ambassador to Brunei professor Hamit Ersoy signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Higher Education" at the IBTE Sultan Saiful Rijal campus in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan.
Within the scope of the signed MoU, it is aimed to prepare the legal framework for long-term cooperation between educational institutions in both countries.
It was stated that IBTE will launch a Turkish language course for employees at Brunei University of Technology (UTB) and Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA). Meanwhile, YEE also aims to provide culture and language courses in cooperation with other relevant educational institutions in public and private schools in Brunei.
As the legal framework allows cooperation in the field of education and research, students and academics will also be offered the opportunity to participate in exchange programs between institutions included in the program. The exchange for one or two semesters will open additional opportunities for students in both countries for cooperation in many academic fields such as art, language, history and culture. Besides, it is predicted that this partnership project will then easily facilitate other joint activities such as conferences, seminars and various cultural performances from the two countries.
While the agreement demonstrates Türkiye's commitment to the "Asia Anew Initiative," which is a foreign policy initiative that focuses on reinforcing ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific, it also aims to strengthen academic cooperation and improve the interaction between people.
Ambassador Ersoy stated that this memorandum is the third agreement signed between YEE and Brunei's educational institution and that he was pleased with it. Stating that they are trying to develop educational ties between the two countries, Ersoy noted that they aim to provide "more innovative" social interaction between the two nations.
"Institutions, students and academicians will benefit from the MoU. This will provide more joint education, research and exemplary practices," Ersoy pointed out.
The YEE, which is currently fulfilling its mission with more than 80 institutes on five continents, works on promoting the Turkish language and culture worldwide.