In January 2022, Turkey’s Council of Higher Education (Yükseköğretim Kurulu, YÖK) adopted minimum conditions for starting and continuing education in veterinary programmes. The conditions include a physical and technical infrastructure requirement for veterinary faculties. The decision was taken by the YÖK General Assembly and published on the council’s website.
Ali Eroğlu, president of the Central Council of the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association (Türk Veteriner Hekimleri Birliği, TVHB), announced the decision in a written statement.
What did YÖK decide?
The adopted text sets minimum conditions in several areas. These are infrastructure (physical and technical), human resources (academic, administrative and technical staff), and the quantity and quality of education. They are set out as general and specific principles. They apply when a veterinary faculty is opened, when teaching begins and while education continues.
What must a veterinary faculty have?
The published conditions cover a faculty’s buildings and facilities, including:
- classrooms, student laboratories, and laboratories for education, research and development;
- a library or study hall, administrative units and social areas, all with adequate technical infrastructure;
- an animal hospital belonging to the faculty, with clinics for large animals and small (pet) animals;
- an education, research and application farm belonging to the faculty;
- physical conditions and equipment suitable for experiments.
The farm must keep both cattle and small ruminants, such as sheep and goats. It must also comply with regulations on the rearing and welfare of different animal species. It is meant for animal production and the growing of forage crops.
On technical infrastructure, classrooms, laboratories, the hospital and the farm’s sub-units must meet minimum space standards and have up-to-date technical equipment.
What are the staffing requirements?
The conditions also cover staff. The animal hospital must have technical health personnel such as pharmacists, X-ray technicians, anaesthesia technicians and laboratory assistants. The faculty must also have enough technical health staff to meet the needs of its other departments. In addition, it must have enough animal keepers and auxiliary staff.
Why was the rule sought?
The TVHB had raised the issue before the decision. In a January 2019 statement, it said Turkey’s veterinary faculties were increasing quickly. It also said they lacked sufficient academic staff and technical infrastructure. The association called for opening criteria covering minimum physical conditions, a minimum number of teaching staff, the quality of support personnel and the ratio of staff to students.
The Council of Deans of Veterinary Faculties had also asked YÖK for work on the minimum conditions for opening new faculties. Its position paper said some faculties were teaching without adequate buildings, laboratories, teaching staff or hospitals.
Eroğlu said the work had been carried out since 2019 by the TVHB, the Council of Deans of Veterinary Faculties and YÖK together. He described that work as a historic achievement for veterinary faculties and for the profession.
What did the TVHB say about accreditation?
The TVHB said it had also stressed that existing faculties should work towards recognition of their equivalence by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), the international accrediting body. In its 2019 statement it said that no Turkish veterinary faculty was fully accredited under EAEVE criteria. It added that some faculties had passed the first-stage evaluation and obtained “approval” status.
The association also said that the new criteria would apply to new faculties. According to Eroğlu, the criteria cover everything from main faculty buildings and classrooms to teaching and research laboratories, the animal hospital, the library, the farm and the faculty’s staff.
YÖK’s published document is titled “Minimum Conditions for Starting and Continuing Education in Veterinary Programmes”. It is available on the council’s education website.