Turkish Maarif Foundation’s Contribution to Türkiye’s Education Diplomacy
摘要
In the last two decades, Türkiye has become one of the leading countries in terms of the prevalence and impact of public and educational diplomacy. Before establishing the Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMF), Türkiye’s educational diplomacy focused on non-formal education activities, such as teaching the Turkish language and culture and offering scholarships to international students to pursue studies in Türkiye. With the TMF, Türkiye opened state-owned international schools for the first time, providing formal education services abroad. This chapter focuses on the contribution of the TMF to Türkiye’s education diplomacy ecosystem. It explains that TMF provides Turkish language and culture through its self-developed formal education curriculum at all levels of education, from preschool to higher education. It also highlights how, in just eight years since its establishment, TMF’s educational institutions have rapidly expanded globally and how, as a result, TMF’s educational diplomacy has deepened and institutionalized. It also examines how, through its international schools, TMF has raised well-educated political, business, and intellectual elites sympathetic to Türkiye. Furthermore, TMF has empowered Türkiye to engage actively in the global education market.