25.04.2026 15:13
Cihad Demirli was appointed to the position of Deputy Minister of National Education. With an academic background, Cihad Demirli was the head of the Board of Education and Discipline, considered the "brain" of the curriculum. Having served at the center of the curriculum and specializing particularly in digital education and program development, Demirli's appointment is seen as a sign of a new era focused on technology and content in education.
A notable change of duty took place in the Ministry of National Education. Deputy Minister of National Education Nazif Yılmaz was dismissed, and Prof. Dr. Cihad Demirli, who served as the President of the Board of Education and Discipline, was appointed in his place. Demirli, who was the head of the board that plays a critical role in the preparation of the curriculum and the shaping of education policies, being appointed to this position was interpreted as the direction of the new era in education being directly determined from the "policy kitchen."
Who is Cihad Demirli, who became the Deputy Minister of National Education from the presidency of the Board of Education and Discipline, which determines the curriculum, approves textbooks, and forms the core of education policy, has become a matter of curiosity.
WHO IS CIHAD DEMIRLI? He was born in Sivas in 1978. He completed his primary and secondary education in Hatay. In 2000, he graduated from the Computer Teaching Program of the Technical Education Faculty of Fırat University and started working as a research assistant in the Educational Sciences Department of the same faculty. He completed his master's degree (2003) in the Educational Technologies Science Branch and his doctorate (2007) in the Educational Sciences Main Science Branch at Fırat University. Between 2007-2010, he worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education at the Education Faculty of the same university. At Istanbul Commerce University, where he started working in 2010, he received the title of associate professor in the field of Curriculum and Instruction in 2014. In 2020, he was appointed as a professor in the Department of Educational Sciences at Istanbul Commerce University.
In addition to holding various administrative positions at the mentioned universities, he served on commissions within various institutions such as the TÜBİTAK BİDEB executive board and acted as a coordinator for numerous national and international projects. He worked as a manager, expert, and project consultant in many national and international projects, including EU, TÜBİTAK, and BAP projects. In 2010, he undertook the founding head of department role for the Department of Educational Sciences at Istanbul Commerce University. In 2011, he established the Lifelong Learning Coordination Office at the same university. Within this coordination office, he served as the Director of the Continuing Education Research and Application Center, the Distance Education Research and Application Center, and the TOEFL Exam Center until 2016.
While continuing his academic career, he completed a second bachelor's degree in Sociology at Anadolu University (2014) and a non-thesis master's program in the Applied Psychology Main Science Branch at Istanbul Commerce University (2015). After being appointed as a founding Board of Trustees member on behalf of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) at the Turkey Maarif Foundation in 2016, he was elected as a permanent member of the foundation's Board of Trustees in 2025.
He has supervised numerous theses and served as a reviewer for various academic journals. He has participated in national and international symposiums and congresses as an invited speaker or presented papers. He has authored books and chapters including Educational Theory in the 21st Century, EPVET Project Report on Learning Needs and Use of Portfolio and Online Applications in Vocational Education in Europe, A General Overview of the Electronic Portfolio Process, Management Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence in Educational Institutions, Electronic Portfolio Teaching Process, Education and Science, Mentoring and Coaching in Primary Teacher Education, Material Evaluation, along with articles published in many national and international peer-reviewed journals. His areas of expertise and research include curriculum and instruction, curriculum development in education, e-learning and technologies, e-portfolio applications, e-teaching material design, and distance learning design.
With the decree numbered 2021/426 published in the Official Gazette dated 25.08.2021 and numbered 31579, he started his duty as the first Board President directly appointed by the President to the Presidency of the Board of Education and Discipline. With the decree numbered 2025/391 published in the Official Gazette dated 18.10.2025 and numbered 33501, he was reappointed as the Board President. He is married and has two children.