Teksen Köroğlu, former vice president of the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the European University of Lefke, made statements about the importance of Covid-19 vaccine in higher education which is one of the leading sectors of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Köroğlu, in his statement stated that, under the pandemic conditions we are in, universities have continued on their way with their educational models both online and hybrid until today but at the point we have reached today, the need for face-to-face training has started to be discussed and the urgency of vaccination issue comes to the fore.

Köroğlu continued his words as follows: “It is clear that higher education, which is one of the most important sectors that create added value to our country’s economy, is one of the sectors most affected by the global pandemic we are in. It is clear that the fact that tens of thousands of students studying in our country do not come to the island and it has a negative impact on many related sectors as well as universities. When we consider the negative picture created by the pandemic as it has caused the great economic crisis in our country in recent years, it is understood how important it is for the whole country to switch to face-to-face education as soon as possible”.

Köroğlu said, “in addition to its economic aspect, face-to-face education also has a great importance in terms of quality in higher education and achieving the strategic goals set by our institution. Quality in education is one of the most important issues for us. Although we are an institution that succeeds in providing the best online education environment to our students with all the opportunities we mobilize, it is impossible for another education model to fully replace face-to-face education”.

Köroğlu said aiming to start face-to-face education as soon as possible, one of the most important issues for our university is to provide face-to-face education in a healthy and safe environment. The health of our university’s academic and administrative staff and students is paramount to us. Although all measures regarding the pandemic have been taken at universities, the risk to be exposed will increase when face-to-face education is started. In this context, before starting face-to-face education, all academic and administrative staff working at universities should be vaccinated first. Köroğlu concluded his words as follows: “The importance of switching to face-to-face education for both our higher education institutions and our country is obvious. However, while taking this step, all necessary precautions should be taken for the health and safety of our students, employees and the whole society. The most important of these measures is to vaccinate academic and administrative staff before starting face-to-face education. “