Erdogan spoke at the UN summit: We took historical steps

AKP Chairperson and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the “Transformation of Education Summit” held at the United Nations (UN) Trusteeship Council. Starting his speech by greeting the audience, Erdoğan thanked the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the summit.

QUALIFIED EDUCATION EFFECT

Pointing out that education is the basic element that keeps nations alive, prioritizes change and adds value to the world, Erdoğan noted that the ideal of “strong society, strong country” can only be achieved by making good use of human capital and undergoing a qualified education process.

“WE ARE TAKING HISTORICAL STEPS”

Stating that Turkey is a country that offers all levels of education and training completely free of charge, from kindergarten to university, Erdoğan said, “For the last 20 years, we have been taking historic steps towards expanding education, increasing the quality of education and ensuring equal opportunities.”

Stating that they are making efforts to strengthen the education infrastructure in every field, from increasing the number of classrooms to the appointment of teachers, from free textbooks to aids for families with limited economic conditions, Erdoğan said that they have equipped educational institutions with modern facilities by equipping them with gymnasiums, digital libraries, laboratories and smart boards.

“WE UPGRADED THE SCHOOLING RATE”

Expressing that they have increased the schooling rates across Turkey by increasing the compulsory education to 12 years with the “4+4+4 education reform”, President Erdoğan said, “We have increased the schooling rate above 90 percent by encouraging the education of our girls with our “Let’s Go to School” Project. Thanks to our pre-school education campaign, we increased the enrollment of 5-year-olds from 78 percent to 93 percent. We aim to reach 100 percent in the coming period,” he said.

Reminding that during the corona virus epidemic that affects the whole world, they have activated applications such as digital platforms, free material support and summer schools where students can access many electronic content, Erdoğan said that they have also implemented various measures to eliminate literacy, numeracy and skill deficiencies in the developmental stages of students.

“WE GROW ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS”

Emphasizing that another issue they meticulously focus on is vocational training, Erdoğan said, “We establish close cooperation between our vocational training institutions and our industrial zones with the learning by production approach. We have implemented International Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools in order to share our experience in the field of vocational and technical education with other countries.

Underlining that the Turkish Maarif Foundation has filled an important gap with its educational institutions spanning 49 countries, mainly in Africa, Asia and the Balkans, Erdoğan said:

  • TIKA, our Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, also provides training and technical training support especially for underdeveloped and developing countries.

“WE ALSO READ THE CHILDREN OF MORE THAN 4 MILLION REFUGEES”

  • With Turkey scholarships, we offer free education in our country to thousands of students at different levels every year. We do not keep the children of more than 4 million refugees we host in our country separate from our own children, and we make every effort for their education.
  • In addition to our international efforts, we also update and renew our education curriculum according to today’s needs. We added environmental education and climate change lessons to the K12 program to instill environmental awareness from an early age.
  • We continue to do what is necessary to raise our children, who are the guarantee of our future, as individuals who are beneficial to the country, nation and all humanity.

Wishing that the Education Transformation Summit would be instrumental in laying the foundations of a brighter, livable and just world, Erdoğan thanked the participants. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan walked from Türkevi to the “Transformation of Education Summit” held at the United Nations Trusteeship Council. Erdoğan was accompanied by Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and Presidency Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın.