Turkey’s Soft Diplomacy: How TIKA Is Conquering the World Through Scholarships and Education
webangah News Agency, International Desk: The turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), as the main body of Turkey’s development assistance, has been instrumental in promoting education and scholarship opportunities globally. These initiatives not only foster human development in emerging countries but also serve as powerful tools for Turkey’s soft diplomacy. Through thousands of educational projects across continents, TIKA strengthens Turkey’s cultural influence while building long-term international partnerships.
Introduction
TIKA functions under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has implemented over 30,000 projects in 170 countries worldwide. It’s education sector is among its most significant activities, encompassing school construction, university support, vocational training programs, and scholarship offerings. These efforts target regions including Asia, Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Latin America to enhance educational infrastructure and cultivate skilled human capital. Reports indicate that through these initiatives TIKA not only reduces poverty and improves access to education but also deepens Turkey’s cultural and economic ties with global partners.
TIKA’s Educational Projects Around the World
TIKA’s diverse educational programs span from constructing and equipping schools to supporting universities as well as offering vocational training courses and scholarships. These projects are frequently enough implemented in cooperation with local governments and international organizations tailored to local needs.
In Africa, TIKA places special emphasis on basic education and vocational training. As an example, in Somalia it has built several schools including a vocational technical school in Mogadishu that trains youth in practical skills. In Sudan TIKA provides teacher training programs alongside scholarships enabling Sudanese students to study at Turkish universities. Offices in African countries such as Algeria and Tunisia coordinate educational projects like classroom construction and providing digital learning equipment.
By 2022,TIKA had executed more than a thousand educational projects across Africa supporting over 500 scholarship recipients. In Asia,the agency concentrates on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) education along with vocational training; for example,in sri Lanka it supports a professional institute providing annual courses lasting 12-18 months to approximately 350 students while offering financial aid for low-income learners.
In Kazakhstan,TIKA has trained around 120 teachers specifically on modern STEM teaching methodologies.In Central Asia,countries like Kyrgyzstanand Uzbekistan benefit from scholarships allowing studentsto pursue higher studiesinTurkey underthe Türkiye scholarships program.In Afghanistan,TIKAhassupported girls’ schoolsand women’seducational initiativesreachingover10 ,000 students.Pakistanhasseen assistancein equippingtechnicaluniversitieswith youthengineeringtraininghostedbyTIK A .
Within the Balkans,the focus lieson restoringeducational heritageandreinvigorating cultural ties.TIKAhase renovatedhistoric schoolsin BosniaandHerzegovinawhileproviding scholarshipsforBosnianstudentsinTurkey.InAlbania,it implements teacher trainingprogramsand supportslocal universities.Kosovohasbenefitedfrom thousands ofdevelopmentprojects,many focusingoneducationincludingnewschool constructionsandscholarships.Thesefocusareasoftencorrespondtoregionswith Ottomanheritage connections.
InTheMiddleEast,TIK A runsprojects insyria,iraq,andPalestine.Forexample,in Gaza,it equips schoolsandoffers Palestine nstudentsscholarships.Itconductseducationalprogramsforthe Syrianrefugee populationinu nq Iraq.InLatinAmerica,TIKO extendse deducationa landcultural programsincountrieslike ColombiaandMexico,makingavailable studentaidandskill trainings.Educationalprojects aimedatruralpovertyalleviationhavealsobeen establishedinsouthAmerica.The TürkıyeScholarship schemesfrequentlycomplementtheseoffersmanagingthousandsofstudents from developingcountriesthrough26country officesworldwide.
Why Does Turkey Invest Heavily Abroad In Education?
the strategic interests behind TİKA’seducationalandinternational scholarship initiatives go beyond humanitarian aid.These actionsform partofTurkey’ ssoftdiplomacybasedon JosephNay’ s conceptof ”soft power,” prioritizingculturaland ideologicalappeal.T IKA’ seducationalschemes increaseTurkish influenceacross critical regionssuchas CentralAsia,the Balkans,andAfricawhereOttomanheritageexists.Scholarshiprecipients often actasasambassadors returning topromoteeconomicande political links betweentheircountriesandt urkey .
Turkey reaps tangibleeconomic benefitsfrom theseprojec ts; graduates frequentlybeco me businesspartnersopeningnewexportmarketsthroughoutCentralAsia,a region where competi tion against Russiaand Chinapro vides strategicvalue.Thisapproachblendshardpower &soft powerallowingturkeytogain geopolitical clout withoutmilitaryconflict.Additionally,suchprogramsimproveTurkish imageacrossIslamicworld& developingstatesuseful incounteracting domesticandinternational criticismofits polices.Finally ,TI KAis integral toa broaderTurk ishstrategyto emerg easa globalpower whereEducation serves asa meanso fresourcecontrolandar elationship management.
Conclusion
TI KA’ sconsistenteducationalandscholarshipp rogramshavecontributed significantlytoglobaldevelopmentwhile positioning turkey aso key player inoften diplomacy.Byimplementingvariedprojectsover multiple regions ,T IK acreatesustainableconnections securing it’slong-term interests.Futureexpansion could further enhanceTurkey’ spresence ina multipol arab worldprovidedtransparencyandauthenticpartnership governprogress .
