Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer began his speech by thanking former Minister of National Education Köksal Toptan and his spouse Saime Toptan for their support to education.

 

Minister Özer stated that they made investments in all levels of education in the last 20 years in order to increase schooling rates adding that, "We used an education system with maximum productivity in order to increase the quality of human resources which is the most permanent capital of any country. We made giant investments not only in Zonguldak but all parts of Türkiye and increased the number of classrooms. Our education system has increased schooling rates in levels of education to 90 percent in the last 20 years."

 

Özer went on to say that:

 

""OECD countries completed massification of education in the 1950s. They succeeded in increasing the schooling rates in all levels of education to 90 percent. Meanwhile, Türkiye was 70 years late to reach this level. After our preschool education campaign, the schooling rate of five year old children increased from 11 percent to 93 percent. Schooling rate in secondary education which was 44 percent exceeded 90 percent. Schooling rate in higher education reached from 14 percent to 48 percent. That is all. Antidemocratic practices in education such as headscarf ban and coefficient practice were lifted in the last twenty years and included elective courses such as the life of Prophet, Quran and religious knowledge to the education program. We never sacrifice quality during this process."

  

Özer stressed that leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan played major role in the massification of education adding that, "Türkiye has been carrying out a tremendous campaign in many fields varying from preschool education to vocational education, from supporting professional development programs for teachers to Teacher's Profession Law, from new school libraries to village public centers."

 

Özer noted that the preschool schooling rate in Zonguldak before the preschool education campaign was 53 percent and this figure increased to 98 percent recently.

 

"As of August 6, 2021 the schooling rate of five year old children in the entire country was 78 percent and it reached 93 percent today. We inaugurated 1,457 kindergartens and 10 thousand preschool classrooms. We consider preschool education as the key to equal opportunity in education," said Özer.

 

Minister Özer mentioned projects carried out by his Ministry about vocational education and stated that, "There were 159 thousand apprentices and foremen in the country only a year g-ago and this figure reached 720 thousand. The goal of the Ministry is to enroll 1 million students in these centers until the end of this year." 

  

Noting that his Ministry has taken concrete steps in order to solve problems and it allocated budgets directly to schools as a part of new school year preparations, Özer said that the Ministry allocated 1 billion liras to schools in İstanbul and total of 3,1 billion liras to schools in the entire country for cleaning materials, stationary purchases, minor repairs and laboratory devices.

 

"As of today, schools used 1 billion liras for preparations. Remaining 2,1 billion liras are in the accounts of schools," noted Özer.  

 

Defining Zonguldak as a country that blends labor with education, Minister Özer mentioned international success stories of the city and said that this success will carry the country to a better level in the future.

 

Özer noted that Köksal Toptan High School will be opened in İstanbul soon.

 

"We must name schools after important statesmen, scientists and educators of the country and join forces in order to provide more qualified education," said Özer.

  

Minister's spouse Nebahat Özer, former Ministers Abdülkadir Aksu, Köksal Toptan and his spouse Saime Toptan were also present at the inauguration ceremony.