Questions/Answers

The software and additional modules used in the General Directorate of Higher Education Student Loans and Residency Institution remained old and useless besides today's technology. The old system included a limited part of the institutional services, with no adequate competence and efficiency. A new software was needed to reduce the intensity of bureaucratic procedures and the written documents prepared in accordance with these procedures. Besides, according to the Sustainable Development Goals of UN under the rule 16; to prevent corruption and bribery, develop effective accountability and visibility among institutions, reduce deforestation, to give priority to disadvantage groups such as; disabled, veterans, orphans, martyr’s relatives, women. The new systems aims are; • Increasing the efficiency of the service quality by moving the services and transactions in the institution to the electronic centre. • Reducing bureaucracy and paperwork to provide automation with user-friendly software interfaces that simplify the processes of students. • Preventing corruption and bribery, reducing deforestation, developing effective accountability and visibility among institutions, to give priority to disadvantage groups such as; disabled, veterans, orphans, martyr’s relatives, women.

Previously, difficulties such as; unable to track student situations at dormitories, now with fingerprint scanning system it is possible to track students (students who have meals, available beds, number of students, number of on leave students) in the whole country. Students were going to the related dormitory to register themselves and paying fees in person. Now, they can apply online and make their payments through ATMs.They must provide lots of paperwork, now the central system can access their information only using their national id number, the regional directorate was dealing placement of substitute students, now the headquarter is in charge.

Under the rule of 16; the initiative is fulfilling; Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms and develop effective accountable and transparent institutions at all levels; The initiative ensures all works are visible by the central system and works are accountable. All applicants have equal conditions and rights for applications and they are evaluated in equal conditions, which means no matter who they are, where they from, and evaluations are objective. It ensures responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels; applicants can monitor, queue their applications and also write complaints (if there is) through the system.

General Directorate of Higher Education Credits and Hostels Institution's application KYKNET has a positive impact and privileges on females, disabled, veterans, martyr's relatives, orphans, national athletes, those who are grown up at orphanages. On the other hand, the institution has no language, religion, nationality, race discrimination and also accept international students. The initiative is controlling paperwork, placement, situations of students, fees, registrations in the electronic environment from headquarter in Ankara/Turkey. So, students have no longer to wait for long periods for registration, with an instant fingerprint system the condition of a student can be tracked by officers, whether they are on leave and sick, they have their daily meal, there are available beds in dormitories and etc.. As a result of electronic processes, there is an advantage of human resources, fewer people are working, and the margin of error is minimum. The initiative is open to all students without any discrimination.

Previously, students were dealing with paperwork such as; certificate of residence, criminal record certificate, student certificate and they had to fill long forms up to 100 questions, payments through a physical bank and etc.. Besides, there were no controlled tracking system for students - whether they are in, on a leave, or sick, they have their meal or not - available beds and etc.. Now, only with a fingerprint there is a %100 tracking for students and they access all KYKNET processes by using "e-state" application. This initiative was the first one that accomplished e-state integration %100 in Turkey.

With its software capacity and hardware, this initiative is unique in the world. For example; tracking students with the fingerprint technology in each dormitory and the whole country. On the other hand, students can take their leaves from gencizbiz.kyk.gov.tr ("we are the youth") website, no paperwork needed.

Yes, this KYKNET initiative is applied to provinces and cities of Turkey simultaneously. The exact number is 81 cities, all regions and 238 provinces. Besides, the initiative is applied to also Northern Cyprus. The exact number is 4. Such modules developed and applied one by one in an order to the whole country. Those are; the collection of payments, application, evaluation, verification, dormitory management, fingerprint technology, academic integration, "we are the youth", guest house, international students, the dormitory on duty, strategy management, construction-real estate for investments, projects and unmovable properties.

To implement the initiative in the whole country some resources like financial and human were needed. Between 2015-2018 the total amount which is spent on building a database, unique software, periodic system updates, infrastructure, computers, fingerprint technology, card reader, maintenance and support, license and etc. approximately 50 million TL which is equal to 8 billion Euros today. Approximately 152 various titled personnel worked in the project such as; 44 from the Department of Information Technologies, 81 Information Systems Coordinators from 81 cities, at least 2 each from the related presidency offices total 22, 5 from Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As known, the importance of education and equality is extremely crucial in the whole world. Governments are working on projects or initiatives to provide and continue education equality. Our initiative will be used in order to provide education equality by giving equal rights to all students without and language, gender, religion, race discrimination. On the other hand, also will give priority to the disabled, veterans, national athletes, orphans and martyr's relatives. Economically; The initiative expedited payments for students and minimized paperwork and human resources. To reduce work process, increase efficiency and activity and decrease costs. Plus, easy to make financial control. Environmentally; Deforestation at more atmospheric carbon dioxide than the sum total of cars and trucks as deforestation is one of the most important environmental problems paper usage involves cutting down trees. The initiative reduced the paperwork. The application form had 100 questions before, not it reduced to 12, so in general, the initiative reduced the consumption of paper up to %90. In this way, this institution moved into Green Business Process Management. Finally, this initiative will always be in use as long as there are students and universities.

Yes

KYKNET was inspected by High Governmental Organizations and determined as it is suitable for the purpose of reducing the intensity of bureaucratic procedures and the written documents prepared in accordance with these procedures for students and also, increasing the efficiency of the service quality by moving the services and transactions in the institution to the electronic centre. The Committee of Inspection, Department of the internal auditing unit, Ministry of Youth and Sports Department of Information Technologies, Court of Accounts did a detailed inspection by analysing software data, the budget of the initiative, the condition of its sustainability and public interest.

The initiative has several indicators in order to measure data Those are; Number of students who have credits and loans, Number of available beds, Number of students that use dormitories, number of entry and exit with the fingerprint, Number of students who have a daily meal, Number of students who are on leave Number of students with credits and scholarships (2018): 1.663.642 2018 Number of beds (2018): 667.593 Number of exit-entry with fingerprint (2018): 235.110.538 Number of students with a daily meal (2018): 118.249.428 Number of students on leave (year based, 2018): 6.759.830

According to the inspection and evaluation that were done by government officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Department of Information Technologies, Court of Accounts, The Committee of Inspection, Ministry of Youth and Sports Department of the Internal Auditing Unit, it was understood that the project is fit for the purpose of reducing the intensity of bureaucratic procedures and the written documents prepared in accordance with these procedures for students. The project is completed on time and it is fit for expected standards and measurements, fulfilled all functions and provided user satisfaction in a large extent.

To design, implement and apply this initiative the authority gathered to decide in which circumstances they'll give credits or dormitory, how to evaluate a student, what will be the success criteria. 11 institutions such as; universities to build a central system, banks to arrange payments through ATM, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities for foreign students, Measuring, Selection and Placement Center for students to determine their needs. Ministry of Interior --- General Directorate of Civil Registration and Nationality --- Family and residency information Ministry of Justice --- Criminal records Ministry of Finance --- Presidency of revenues -- Motor Vehicle Tax Ministry of Education --- Education information of a student's siblings and if the student had previous educations at orphan's school (only Darussafaka) Ministry of Family, Social and Labor --- General Directorate of Social Services, Information of Orphanage and Ministry of Labor, Social Security, Salary and Working Condition information Ministry of Trade ---- Tax liability of a student and the family Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation --- General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, real estate belongs to a student and the family. Ministry of Youth and Sports --- if the student is a national athlete or not.

Each year several questionnaires are applied to students in order to evaluate the initiative and according to the results system revisions are applied, if necessary, and it is needed to improve the data flow. As the needs and requirements of the day change, the projects need to be changed, developed and flexible.