President Erdoğan spoke at the 2024-2025 Academic Year Opening Ceremony

 

Speaking at the school year opening in Istanbul, President Erdoğan said: “With every project we implement and every investment we make in education, we are getting closer to our goal of the Century of Türkiye. In the past 22 years, we have taken historic steps, which are admired by those with objective eyes, to compensate for our country’s shortcomings.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the school year opening and the conference on R&D and quality of education technologies at Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul.

President Erdoğan commenced his speech by expressing his wish that the School Year 2024-2025 may lead to auspicious outcomes for students, teachers and the entire education world.

“OUR CENTURY OF TÜRKİYE GOAL IS A STRONG COMMITMENT”

President Erdoğan said: “Our Century of Türkiye goal is not just a horizon, but a strong commitment to the future of each and every individual of this august country. We are fulfilling this commitment with our new education approach, technological moves and democratization steps. With every project we implement and every investment we make in education, we are getting closer to our goal of the Century of Türkiye. In the past 22 years, we have taken historic steps, which are admired by those with objective eyes, to compensate for our country’s shortcomings.”

“WE HAVE LEFT BEHIND OECD COUNTRIES IN READINESS FOR DIGITAL LEARNING”

Drawing attention to the works carried out to improve the physical infrastructure of schools, President Erdoğan said that they are reaping the fruits of these steps in international area as well, and added: “We are in a leading position among the OECD countries in ensuring technological infrastructure in education. The ratio of the schools that notified digital resource shortage in the PISA 2022 report is way below the OECD average. With such an improvement rate as 91 per cent in readiness for digital learning, we, thanks be to Allah, have left behind the OECD countries. Our teachers ability to use digital devices in education stands at 88 per cent, which is also above the OECD average.”

“UNCONTROLLED AND CHAOTIC STRUCTURE OF THE DIGITAL WORLD BRING ALONG MANY THREATS”

Also touching upon the addictions that come with new technologies, President Erdoğan stressed that they witness how social media and some video games platforms often poison the youth. “The uncontrolled and chaotic structure of the digital world bring along many threats.”

President Erdoğan said: “We see that various measures, limitations and regulations are put into practice regarding digital technologies in many countries in the world. As you may note, no one speaks of freedom, democracy, or free market economy concerning the very severe precautions especially Western countries take to protect their interests and citizens. However when we pursue similar avenues to protect our children, we find ourselves in the line of fire. As is the case with the measures we implemented last month, we are suddenly accused of being prohibitive. I regret to say that some circles in our country advocate for the interests of international companies instead of defending the rights of our children. Rather than objecting to child abuse, they, although unwillingly, take up a position in which they appear to defend practices that harm children under the pretext of ‘freedom’. Legitimizing violence, immorality, racism, hate crimes, and even abuse under the mask of freedom is totally unacceptable.”