The 4th Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Economic Cooperation Organization Educational Institute (ECOEI) was held in a hybrid format on August 5, 2023, at Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel in İstanbul. Hosted by Hon. Min. Mr. Yusuf Tekin, the Minister of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye, the event garnered the participation of education ministers and country representatives.
The ministers present at the meeting were Hon. Min. Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training of Pakistan; Idris Isayev, Deputy Minister of Science and Education of Azerbaijan; Jurazoda Jamshed Habibullo, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan; and Usman Sharifkhodjaev, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of Uzbekistan. Nazım Çavuşoğlu, the Minister of National Education of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), was also present at the meeting as the representative of the ECO observer. Additionally, Akmatov Kyalbek Kamutovich, Chief from the Office of School Education and Book Publishing Policy in the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, along with senior experts from Kazakhstan, as well as representatives from the Turkish Presidency and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also attended the meeting.
The delegations of ECO Secretariat and specialized agencies were led by H.E. Khusrav Noziri, the ECO Secretary General; H.E. Murodjon Buriboev, the President of ECOCI; H.E. Prof. M. Akif Kireçci the President of ECOEI and H.E. Seyed Komail Tayebi, the President of ECOSF.
The Meeting started with the opening speech of Prof. Kireçci. In his statement, Prof. Kireçci gave a brief background of ECO’s formation and the importance of ECOEI in the region. He highlighted that an accomplishment of great significance during this time was the ratification of the Host Country Agreement between ECOEI and the Government of Türkiye. He added that the Institute stayed resolute to achieve its goals despite challenges from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. Kireçci expressed his wishes that 4th BoT would be strengthening the friendship among Member States and their common vision to use education's transformative power for societal well-being and prosperity.
In his statement ECO Secretary General H.E Khusrav Noziri appreciated the ECO Educational Institute for arranging various workshops, seminars, and conferences, as well as publishing reports on languages in the ECO region and on preschool education. Mr. Noziri expressed his wishes that the Institute will grow to play a bigger role in promoting and improving sustainable educational cooperation in the region.
As part of his welcoming remarks, the Minister of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye, Hon. Min. Yusuf Tekin, stated that the most effective way to cultivate more peaceful, prosperous, and developed societies is to raise younger generations equipped with social and emotional skills along with shared values. Mr. Tekin emphasized the important role of ECO in institutionalizing development in our region and his belief that the ECO Educational Institute would provide a significant educational infrastructure and collaborative platform for our region.
The meeting reviewed and discussed various issues under its agenda: the ratification of ECOEI Charter, administrative and budgetary matters, the extended biennial report of ECOEI (2020-2023), and ECOEI work program for 2023-2026. The BoT also endorsed nomination of Prof. M.Akif Kireçci as the next President of the Institute for the period of three years to be approved by the ECO Council of Ministers.
The BoT appreciated the Minister of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye, Hon. Min. Yusuf Tekin for the excellent arrangements and acknowledged the efforts of the ECOEI President and his team for their work in preparation of comprehensive documents and their assistance to the host country for successful holding of the 4th Meeting of ECO Educational Institute Board of Trustees.
The 4th Meeting of BoT was preceded by the High Level Expert Group (HLEG) Meeting, held on 4 August 2023, chaired by Mrs. Tuba Korkmaz, Director General (EU and Foreign Relations) Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye. The HLEG meeting discussed and finalized the agenda and other necessary documents for the BoT.
