In his speech at the program held in the Parliament Ceremony Hall, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Kurtulmuş, expressed that he, his wife and deputies are glad to host teachers in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, which is the center of the national will.

 

Kurtulmuş commemorated Neşe Alten, who was martyred in Bismil when she was only 21 years old and had only been a few days since she started teaching, Teacher Aybüke Yalçın, who was taken from life at a young age and martyred in Batman Kozluk, and all the martyred teachers with mercy and gratitude.

 

Stating that teaching is a prophetic profession, referring to Goethe, Numan Kurtulmuş said that the Prophet said, 'I was sent to you as a teacher.' He drew attention to his statement and stated that it is one of the most sacred professions. Kurtulmuş emphasized that they should see the teaching profession as one of the most fundamental duties in which the seeds for the future of the country are sown.

 

Emphasizing that one of the most fundamental pillars of the struggle to make "Türkiye as a strong voice and an effective power" in the eyes of all the nations of the world, Kurtulmuş said that teachers are the most valuable capital and most valuable assets that will build the second Century of the Republic, which they see as the 'Century of Education'. Underlining that teachers are happy and pleased to see the sprouts grow by planting seeds in the ground for the young people who will form the future of Türkiye, Kurtulmuş expressed that he also feels very happy to see the students who have gained footing.

 

Stating that Nurettin Topçu, one of the most important thinkers in the history of the Republic and guiding everyone with his views in the field of education, defined teachers as "skillful masters who cultivate young souls", Kurtulmuş touched upon the importance of the teaching as a profession.

 

Noting that teachers are rare role models of the society having a very privileged status, Kurtulumuş said that in addition to the development of children's education, teachers are also the basis of the main pillars of the society in terms of raising people who will build the future of the society with the knowledge, skills, worldview, morality and virtue they provide from an early age.

 

Kurtulmuş emphasized that Türkiye has reached an important point in terms of popularizing educational technologies and education and increasing schooling rates.

 

Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin celebrated Teachers' Day by stating that teaching is the main professional group that builds generations and nations.

 

Stating that he felt the same way when he was an academician, Minister Tekin stressed that teaching is a lifestyle that plays a role in the process of community building and encompasses the whole of life. Minister Tekin underlined that every day is the day of teachers even though November 24th is celebrated as Teachers' Day. Commemorating the martyred teachers and the teachers who passed away, especially Head Teacher Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Minister Tekin also congratulated the Teachers' Day of the teachers he works with.

 

Emphasizing that teachers do the most critical work in achieving educational goals, Tekin said teachers are great heroes with the responsibility of touching the hearts, minds and future of every individual of a society and the entire nation.

 

Stressing that they are a big family with 20 million students and over 1 million teachers, Minister Tekin said: "As a nation, we are obliged to do our part to ensure that this family builds the generation we desire and target." 

 

Stating that the Ministry of National Education has reached an important point in terms of physical infrastructure and human resources in 20 years, Tekin stated that Türkiye is at a good point in terms of infrastructure when compared to world averages and developed countries.

 

Explaining that the budget sizes and the capacity of the country to transfer the largest share are taken into consideration when ranking the democratization indicators of countries, Tekin said the expenditures of Ministry of Education on education has the biggest share in budget which makes it the most important indicator for democratization process of Türkiye.

 

After the program, Kurtulmuş and Tekin took a souvenir photo with the teachers on the Stairs of Honor at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.