NEU ranked 2nd among Accessible Universities in Turkey

Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU) received 20 flags at the 2024 Accessible University Flags and Program Badge Ceremony organized by the Higher Education Council (YÖK) to ensure equal opportunities in education, eliminate barriers in the education process, and encourage the creation of a barrier-free living space at universities, making it the 2nd university that won the most flags among universities. In 2023, Necmettin Erbakan University, which was ranked 15th with 5 flags, became the 2nd in Turkey in the Accessible University Flags category by receiving 20 flags out of a total of 1709 applications from 112 universities in 2024. Necmettin Erbakan University achieved a significant success by receiving 16 flags in the Accessibility in Space Category (Orange Flag), 3 flags in the Accessibility in Education Category (Green Flag), and 1 flag in the Accessibility in Socio-Cultural Activities Category. Speaking at the 2024 Accessible Universities Awards Ceremony, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar stated that the number of students in the higher education system in Turkey has exceeded 7 million, with approximately 58,000 of these students having different levels of disabilities. ‘We value the access of all our students to higher education.’ YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, stated that they present Accessible University Awards to support the participation of disabled students in social and cultural activities in addition to education and training, and to promote the provision of necessary adaptations, infrastructure, and equipment, as well as the creation of a barrier-free ecosystem at universities. ‘Through these awards, the efforts made by our higher education institutions to ensure the full, effective, and equal participation of disabled individuals in higher education also make us happy. As the Higher Education Council, we value the access of all our students to higher education and strive to develop encouraging works and projects to provide disabled students with an accessible educational environment and to increase their participation in social and cultural activities. Our universities carry out activities that prioritize accessibility throughout the year by establishing coordinators within their institutions. Although significant progress has been made in terms of spatial accessibility at many universities, we need to make more efforts to ensure that education and program contents are accessible to students from different disability groups.’ At the 2024 Accessible University Flags and Program Badge Ceremony, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar presented the award to Necmettin Erbakan University Rector Prof. Dr. Cem Zorlu. The ceremony was attended by YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, Necmettin Erbakan University Rector Prof. Dr. Cem Zorlu, Necmettin Erbakan University Disabled Student Unit Coordinator Prof. Dr. Hakan Sarı, university rectors, and disabled students.