Speaking at the forum, Minister Tekin said: "We need to remember once again that our education system should have its main parameters such as world peace, human rights, and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the development of everything, including the culture of innovation. It is because we do not do this that we face an increasing risk of war and human rights violations in the world today. It is because we do not do this that every morning we are confronted with news reporting where in the world a war, conflict, or human rights violation has occurred."

 

The "Education World Forum," which featured sessions attended by speakers from around the world, where ministries of education, universities, organizations, companies, and education experts evaluated the challenges and opportunities facing the field of education, was held in London, the capital of the United Kingdom.

 

As part of the forum, Minister Tekin participated as a speaker in the session titled "What Strategies and Changes Help Develop a Culture of Innovation in Education?"

 

In his speech, Minister Tekin stated that he has participated in numerous international events related to education, and he said that topics such as 21st-century skills, the use of artificial intelligence in education, advancements in educational technologies, the development of a culture of innovation, and similar subjects have been widely discussed at many such events.

 

Stating that he wanted to emphasize the purpose behind all this, Minister Tekin said:

 

"We strive to raise our children and youth in light of the parameters I have just mentioned, but ultimately, what is our goal? What do we want to achieve? When we lose sight of this, everything we do becomes meaningless. We do all this to live in a better world - a world at peace, where fundamental rights and freedoms are protected. Therefore, the first point I would like to draw attention to is that we need to remember once again that our education system should have its main parameters such as world peace, human rights, and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the development of everything, including the culture of innovation. It is because we do not do this that we face an increasing risk of war and human rights violations in the world today. It is because we do not do this that every morning we are confronted with news reporting where in the world a war, conflict, or human rights violation has occurred. The genocide perpetrated by Israel in Palestine, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the tensions between India and Pakistan, which we have been following with concern in recent days... I would like to express that if all these things are happening, we in the education sector bear a great responsibility and share in this."

 

Providing an example based on the Century of Türkiye Education Model, Minister Tekin stated:

 

"In Türkiye, during the last academic year, we made significant revisions to our curricula. We placed our aspiration for a world at peace, a harmonious society, and a community that respects each other's rights and laws at the core of our education system. If we do not want war in the world, if we do not want a reality in which human rights are violated, then we must all take responsibility and put our hands to the wheel and transform this process into the form we desire by raising good people. This responsibility belongs to all of us."

 

Speaking about the steps taken by Türkiye in the field of educational technologies, Minister Tekin made the following statements:

 

"Since Türkiye is a social state as defined in the constitution, education and training processes are provided free of charge for all 12 years of compulsory education. We have approximately 650 thousand classrooms. All of our 650 thousand classrooms have interactive boards, internet access, and access to one of the world's largest educational content portals. We have benefited greatly from this technological infrastructure, especially during the pandemic. In the new period, we have started to use artificial intelligence in every field - from in-class activities to out-of-school activities, from the Ministry's central organization to decision-making mechanisms, and the organization of examination systems."

 

Minister Yusuf Tekin stated, "In general, our views and opinions on current developments in education are largely aligned," highlighting that access to information is becoming easier with each passing day.

 

Minister Tekin emphasized that two issues need to be focused on and continued his speech as follows:

 

"One of them is refining accurate information during the process of accessing knowledge. The second is that we need to be attentive to transforming this knowledge into practical life skills after accessing it. While doing this, we need to realize that the generations of young people we are engaged with in the field of education are changing very rapidly. One of the main parameters of this change is the acquisition of critical thinking skills and a critical perspective. There is no doubt that paving the way for critical thinking will develop our children's creativity skills."

 

Minister Tekin expressed that there is a consensus on the steps taken to develop and properly guide children's culture of creativity, emphasizing the need for continued efforts in this regard. He stated, "While doing all of this, we direct our efforts and work toward living in a better world-one characterized by peace, democracy, and the dominance of human rights. We would never want to even consider that all these life skills and critical thinking might fuel a culture of conflict and war in the world."

 

Minister Tekin noted that he wanted to remind that educators also share responsibility for the negative outcomes experienced and said, "Similarly, living in a better world is within our control, in our hands. Ultimately, my call is this: Let us all come together to make peace and human rights prevail in the world."

 

Minister Tekin said that the Ministry will hold a summit on educational technologies in June and invited all participants to the summit.

 

Minister Tekin held bilateral meetings with Azerbaijan's Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev and Syria's Minister of Education Muhammad Abdul Rahman Turko following the forum.

 

Deputy Minister M. Bilal Macit, Director General for European Union and Foreign Relations Tuba Korkmaz, Director General for Personnel Bülent Çiftçi, Director General of Support Services Ömür Fatih Karakullukçu, Director General for Higher Education and Foreign Education Fethi Fahri Kaya, Director General for Innovation and Educational Technologies Mustafa Canlı, and Press and Public Relations Consultant Yılmaz Güney also attended the forum.