INVESTING IN KNOWLEDGE

All parents consider educating their children as one of the most important life challenges. According to world statistics, an educated person earns several times more than an uneducated one.

In addition, an educated person can himself transfer his knowledge to hundreds other people. Azerbaijan has many opportunities providing almost all types of education - technical, humanitarian, economic, medical, etc. However, in qualitative terms, the level of education in the country lags behind modern world standards in a number of specialties. That is why, President Ilham Aliyev initiated a state program (2007-2015) for students studying abroad, which provides the best opportunities of our nationals to study at various universities of the world at the expense of public funds. This program has become a vivid manifestation of the strategy of turning oil capital into a human one, and has enabled thousands of young people to join the best standards of the educational process. Certain part of these young people, returning to Azerbaijan, teach in domestic universities, raising the quality of education to world standards.

Traveling to Turkey for a diploma

Prior to the launch of this program, Turkey was the first destination of Azerbaijani youth wishing to study abroad. Since the first years of our independence, this neighbouring country has created conditions for young people from Azerbaijan to replenish their knowledge. According to the Turkish Ambassador to our country Erkan Ozoral, 125 thousand Azerbaijani citizens have been trained in Turkey during the last 25 years. The lack of a language barriers, visa-free regime and fraternal relations between both nations have contributed to such an impressive number of trainees. Currently, more than 12,000 Azerbaijanis continue their education in Turkey. For several years, our nationals have been leading the foreign citizens receiving education in Turkey.

At the same time, a considerable number of young people were educated in Turkey on a medical specialty. Many patients in Azerbaijan are trying to find a doctor who is a graduate of a Turkish higher education school, being confident that he or she had been taught the most modern methods of treatment of diseases and, most importantly, had had an opportunity to practice in Turkish medical institutions.

The educational center Azeredu assists future students in making their choice among the Turkish universities. According to one of the founders of the center, Vugar Guliyev, Azeredu cooperates with leading state and private universities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and other cities of Turkey, and has already sent to Turkey about two thousand Azerbaijani students for the past six years. In particular, the center will help determine the direction for obtaining higher education, select several options for Turkish universities, provide an opportunity to check the level of the Turkish language and knowledge according to the standards of YÖS, ALES, SAT, YDS, TIPDIL. By the way, Azeredu provides all these services for free.

From university to specialists: theory

Recently, İstinye University of Istanbul, established in 2015 by one of the best medical holdings of Turkey - MLP Care Group, has joined the network of universities serviced by Azeredu. This holding unites 32 clinics of the networks Liv Hospital, Medical Park and VM Medical Park.

That is why, the Istinye University started its activities in a medical sphere, teaching students primarily for their own clinics. Such a synergy of the medical holding and university allowed the teaching staff to be involved in the educational process, the best among the private universities in Turkey, which, besides lecturing, is daily engaged in clinics of the MLP holding, which allows specialists to share with the most complicated cases in their medical practice.

However, Istinye University is not limited to medical training only. Since September, the university will open doors for students wishing to be engineers, architects, programmers, economists, as well as specialists in humanities. In short, the university will become a multi-discipline high school. Moreover, those who wish can study at the university and at the vocational school stage to be trained in a particular profession during two-year courses.

Therefore, the University of İstinye is building two more campuses, one of which will become the largest among private universities in the country. But in the existing building of the University all conditions for students are created for obtaining high-quality education. At this stage, students can be educated on a broad profile of medical science, including surgery, dentistry, dietology, physiotherapy, pediatrics, psychology, molecular biology, etc., involving the most advanced technologies. Starting from the first year of education, the students are attracted to practical classes: they are provided with numerous laboratories with the most modern equipment, operating rooms, models of separate departments of hospitals, a library with all the variety of both printed and electronic books and magazines.

Experimental Laboratories

Despite a small period of foundation, the university is already known in the scientific world thanks to its developments. Erdal Karagez, head of the medical department, told R+ that modern research methods using stem cells, tissue engineering, 3D organ printing, cancer research at the molecular level, genetic research, etc. were being conducted at the university's laboratories. He noted that thanks to these activities, Istinye would soon get a patent for the promotion of cancer treatment researches. In addition, using the available 3D organic printer and stem cells, the researchers have been able to replicate a fragment of a human jaw.

All these options allowed the Istinye University to obtain recognition of its diplomas all over the world, including in Azerbaijan, and also to get involved in student exchange programs, including the well-known EU Erasmus+ program.

"We intend to implement student and staff exchange programs with Azerbaijani universities. In general, we count on a significant flow of Azerbaijani students, as they are native speakers of the Turkish language, which is important in our case, since the university only provides training in Turkish," says Rector of the University, Melih Bulu.

Practice in Clinics

Istinye University has recently opened a clinic to meet all the stated standards of education. According to Chief Physician of the university, Orcun Okur, the students are practicing annually. In terms of its technical equipment, selection of doctors, the university clinic is considered one of the best in Turkey. In particular, this medical institution is provided with a full range of medical services, starting from plastic surgeries and ending with such complex ones as treatment and operations of all kinds of oncological diseases, artificial insemination, bone marrow and heart transplantation operations. The head physician especially noted the existence of a child resuscitation for small patients, which any clinic cannot afford.

This clinic is a development that a few selected Turkish universities can boast. This institution allows the students to contact with certain diseases online, learn modern methods of treatment, and in practical classes to see the methodology of the leading professors of Turkey. The most distinguished students of the University after completing their studies will be provided with work in the hospital system of the MLP Group holding. And this is a very important result of the educational process. But considering the expansion of the profile of the Istinye University, which will train specialists in a wide profile, including economic, humanitarian and technical specialties, not all graduates will get a job in the MLP Group system. But high standards, professional teaching staff, which allows to train high-class specialists, will not leave a single graduate without a job.

Investing in the education is the best of investments, which, with a right choice of a university and direction, allows you to get the highest dividends. Istinye University is the most reliable and highly profitable asset on top of this investment list.