Yusuf Tekin

Yusuf Tekin — Biography

Born on 3 August 1970 in the Tortum district of Erzurum, Yusuf Tekin rose from academia into Turkish state bureaucracy before becoming the country's education minister. He graduated in public administration from Ankara University's Faculty of Political Science in 1994, and completed a master's degree in 1997 and a doctorate in 2002. He became an associate professor at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University in 2007 and a full professor in August 2018, in between serving at the Police Academy and chairing the board of trustees of Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University from 2015 to 2018. From 2018 to 2023 he served as rector of Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University.

Alongside his academic path, Tekin advanced through government posts, holding a senior role at the Ministry of Youth and Sports from 2011 to 2013 and serving as undersecretary of the Ministry of National Education from 2013 to 2018. A member of the Justice and Development Party, he was appointed Minister of National Education on 4 June 2023, and his statements favoring a greater religious and cultural presence in education have repeatedly stirred public debate.

Still in office as of mid-2026, Tekin has continued a busy schedule as minister, announcing that school cleaning and security services would be outsourced, unveiling education investment and a new stadium project in his home province of Erzurum, and meeting with prospective teachers.