Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer made the keynote speech of 5th International Education Forum organized by the think-tank of the Turkish Education Association (TED) under the theme of "digital obesity" and stressed that technological developments increased the need for schools and education institutions.

 

Noting that inequality between nations gets deeper, Özer said, "Need for education institutions and schools are increasing as they can compensate for the deepening inequalities in the globalized world."

 

The forum argues if digital instruments can replace schools.

 

Minister Özer noted that the education sector was affected most by the pandemic and this period revealed the importance of schools.

 

Özer reminded that he pledged to open face-to-face education since the day he was assigned as the Minister of National Education adding that, "I happy to keep schools open without any interruption for the last 7,5 months. Heroes of this period were the teachers who gave lectures with their masks and got vaccinated."

 

Özer noted that the pandemic highlighted digital addiction and the importance of raising healthy generations.

 

"There were long term impacts of 1,5 yearlong distance education when they involved digital platforms. All children are now exposed to uninterrupted digital platforms.  We can say that children became the locals of the digital world. The mission of our Ministry is not only to support the academic skills of children but also raise them as resilient people. In this light, we must raise awareness about digital addiction," said Özer.

 

Minister Özer stressed that technology started to direct people's lives and addiction turned out to be the side product of the technology.

 

"There is a lack of literature about digital obesity. We must carry out research and write articles about this important subject. This issue should be considered only from all aspects and we must organize activities about digital obesity in order to keep it on the agenda of the country," added Özer.