Ankara University has become the first higher education institution in Turkey to organize a course on non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The freshly-launched lecture has been attended by high-ranking government officials, local media reported.

Leading University in Turkey Begins Course on NFTs

Ankara University has added a course on NFTs to its curriculum, becoming the first Turkish university to teach the crypto-related subject. According to a report by the Hürriyet daily, senior officials from the presidential administration and the culture ministry have been present at the first class on non-fungible tokens.

“We are happy to teach about NFTs, but our students are happier than us,” Necdet Ünüvar, the rector of the university, said in an opening speech for the event. The “Introduction to NFT” course is taught by Buğra Ayan.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Özgül Özkan Yavuz and Ali Taha Koç, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Digital Transformation Office, were among the guests at the lecture. During the accompanying ceremony, Yavuz stated:

We believe that NFT will trigger artistic creativity, skills and talents among youth. The step that Ankara University has taken by means of expanding awareness on NFT is very important.

The deputy minister added that she is looking forward to seeing the results at the end of the academic term. Yavuz also revealed that all NFT works produced by participating students can be presented in a future exhibition.

Ali Taha Koç announced that his office is working on many other digital projects. “Do not think that NFT is just a matter of technology. There is also a legal dimension of NFT which will make us see how it will affect our business styles,” he emphasized.

Koç shared that his department is now trying to coin a Turkish term for NFTs and urged attendees of the course to support these efforts with their own suggestions. “Everyone should join and add an alternative name to NFT,” he stated after announcing his intention to launch a poll on social media.

NFTs are a popular tool to prove ownership of digital records and assets, including art, music and video, using distributed ledgers. The global market for non-fungible tokens has been estimated at between $20 billion and $35 billion a year and many expect it will continue to grow.

Ankara University’s initiative comes after in late January, media reports unveiled that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had instructed the country’s ruling Justice and Development Party to study developments like cryptocurrency and the metaverse. The move followed his announcement in December that Turkey is ready with a crypto law.

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