Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, in his speech at the 2023-2024 Academic Year Opening Ceremony held at Atatürk Cultural Center with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said that the new academic year corresponds to a historical period that symbolizes the ideal of the Turkish Century.
Tekin stated that this period, which corresponds to the second century of the Republic, represents the dawn of a new horizon in which the great civilization vision they aspire to build a more just and free world will be materialized in every aspect and with all its goals.
Stating that the phenomenon of education is the most important pillar of this blessed dawn heralding the Turkish Century, Tekin said, “Because the phenomenon of education, which has an undeniable importance and function in the development of societies, also has a key role in the construction of the future.” he said.
“Now is the time to produce our own model”
Tekin emphasized that Turkey has made significant progress in education, as in every field, in the last 20 years, and has achieved great success in terms of both quantitative and qualitative indicators.
Noting that in the ongoing process accompanied by the cumulative knowledge of the AK Party governments, educational environments have been developed in a way that cannot be compared with the past in terms of human, physical, scientific and technological infrastructure, Tekin said that these developments have brought about the social transformations experienced in Turkey in the last quarter century.
Tekin stated that these are the starting manifesto of the Turkey Century in the second century of the Republic and said, “One of the most important pebbles of this manifesto will be ‘creating an education system specific to our nation’ in line with this spirit. We will be able to better understand and read the world in the axis of our own civilizational values.” “This new systematic, which is based on the culture, art and technology-oriented development of strong individuals, is of vital importance in terms of Turkey being able to complete its ideal in the future as it is today.” he said.
Emphasizing that this systematic, whose material infrastructure will be built on a largely completed basis, will be the most important element in realizing the ideal of the Turkish Century, which they believe will manifest as the age of education, Tekin continued as follows:
“Today, it is time to build our own education system on this infrastructure and to produce our own model with a collective and national educational awareness. Our model will position itself on a philosophy that is compatible with and develops the universal nature of our human existence, and will also be based on the basic principles of history, tradition and civilization to which we belong.” It will be shaped with a national content that bears its characteristics. Because we can neither turn our backs on the developments and scientific truths in the contemporary world nor give up the main elements that form our own identity. We have to universalize by preserving our nationality, and give life to a liberal and natural development process by protecting our human characteristics. Only in this way can education be achieved. “We can achieve the goals we desire and produce a rich acquis that is based on the natural and natural development of our young people and meets their pedagogical needs.”
“We will strive to build a dynamic education climate”
Pointing out that they will shape education not only as an essential investment area that will increase material welfare in the country, but also as a dynamic and continuous learning process that will ensure the revival of cultural and social existence, Tekin said, “We will shape our education system as a ‘good human being’, which is the basic justification and ultimate goal of our existence on earth.” “We will structure it as a liberation process that will include all the conditions of being and ‘knowing yourself.’ We will take every step we take with this awareness, and we will develop all our policies in consultation with our stakeholders and to serve this purpose.” he said.
Tekin stated that, in the light of the great vision expressed by President Erdoğan as the Turkey Century, they will strive to build a dynamic educational climate that includes both universal scientific and pedagogical principles and national-spiritual values that form the essence of the ancient civilization, and continued his words as follows: continued:
“As in Mevlana’s compass metaphor, we will say ‘don’t stop, keep going’ with the excitement of raising generations that surround the whole world with the other foot and produce for people, while one foot is fixed on their own geography. More than 1 million people whose hearts are full of love for the homeland and nation Together with my teacher and administrator friends, to realize this ideal that you have outlined, to build the next century as the Turkish Century, with a philosophy that is proud of its past and takes it as an example, with a vision equipped with the requirements of the age, with a brand new education philosophy, with a self-sacrificing work that will be set as an example to the whole world. “I undertake on behalf of my colleagues and myself that we will work day and night with a close-knit team spirit, from the central organization to my teacher colleague in the farthest corner of the country.”
Minister Tekin wished that the 2023-2024 academic year would be beneficial.