08.06.26
9th Meeting of Ministers of Education of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 8 June 2026 in Turkistan, bringing together Ministers of Education from OTS Member States to further strengthen cooperation in education across the Turkic World.
During the Meeting, H.E. Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the OTS, highlighted the steady expansion of the Orhun Exchange Program and the growing membership of the Turkic Universities Union (TURKUNIB), which now unites 170 universities. He noted the proposals to establish a Permanent TURKUNIB Secretariat and a dedicated Program Fund to ensure sustainability and announced that the OTS Secretariat already allocated one million US dollars to support the further development of the Program.
Ministers also discussed the proposal to establish a Turkic World Higher Education Area aimed at harmonizing standards, enhancing quality assurance, and facilitating mutual recognition of diplomas. Additional initiatives, including student and teacher exchange programmes, the Sister School Programme, Information Network of the OTS, were considered as practical steps to deepen cooperation.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the Communique of the 9th Meeting, and the approval of several strategic documents and initiatives, including “Establishment of a Permanent TURKUNIB Secretariat and a Dedicated Program Fund for Orhun Exchange Program”, “Establishment of a Turkic World Higher Education Data Bank”, “Creation of the Turkic World Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (TWAQA)”, “Mechanisms for certification and equivalency of diplomas among member universities of TURKUNIB”, “Establishment of the Turkic Universities League”, “Implementation of student and teacher exchange programs, the sister school practice”, “Turkic States Education Information Network”, and Establishment of the Education Cooperation Working Group”.
