Greetings to the teachers of the Republic

Today is Teachers' Day. It is a day when the value of the labor of teachers and education workers is remembered and reminded once again.

Teaching is one of the most important professions. To be devoted to education means to be devoted to humanity. The existence of a society and the development of a country are only possible through the efforts of teachers and education workers. For this reason, immediately after the proclamation of our Republic, teacher training schools—or "muallim mektepleri" as they were called in those days—were opened, and training teachers was implemented as one of the Republic's pioneering projects.

While teacher training schools were being opened to train qualified teachers and educators on one hand, projects were put into practice without delay to make the public literate on the other. A comprehensive literacy mobilization was launched across the country, with those who became literate under the project being tasked with teaching reading and writing to those who were not. Let us emphasize here that the examples of this practice, which was initiated immediately after the founding of the Republic, were only started much later in Western countries under names such as adult education and lifelong learning. The unique vision of our Founding Leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, manifests itself once again in this regard.

We see clearly how much importance Atatürk placed on education and teachers, not only in his speeches but also in his actions. The term "Republic teacher" is a powerful emphasis on this. A Republic teacher is rational. They walk with determination toward the goal set by the path illuminated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. With a rational perspective and without compromising on scientific principles, the primary goal of our teacher is to equip our people with knowledge and to raise our Nation to the level of the most developed nations. They perform their profession with the idealism of achieving this goal. Every individual they raise is a success for the teacher, and therefore, their happiness.

The most important responsibility of a Republic teacher is to pass on the fundamental values of our Republic to their students and to serve in their establishment and strengthening within society. I know from my own teachers that they never forget the students they graduate, even as years pass; they remember each one by their name and character. This could also be called a kind of tracking. Every student they raise is their work, and a very important one at that. Therefore, they keep track of every work they have put forth, constantly following up to ensure it does not deteriorate, suffer harm, and that it fulfills its responsibilities to humanity, its homeland, its society, its family, etc., in the best possible way. No matter how much time passes, a Republic teacher recognizes the student they raised by their eyes, their gaze, their stance, and the expression on their face. It is such a bond that it strengthens as if defying time and space. While every student remains in the life of the teacher who raised them, the teacher never leaves the life of the student they raised. Whether we are aware of it or not, each of us carries traces of the teachers who raised us. Our character, our attitude, our stance, our worldview, and our values are the sum of the gains we obtained from our teachers, alongside our families.

Therefore, the teacher has a huge role in the development of a society, the progress of a country, and the improvement of humanity. Because the teacher invests in human capital. They strengthen the cultural capital of every individual. Every touch of a teacher is a mark on the future of humanity. Therefore, for a good future and a more humane world, teachers must be trained in a qualified manner. But for this, the teaching profession needs to regain its former prestige. For the teacher to gain value, their economic conditions must first be improved. Every teacher is primarily an opinion leader, both for their students and for society. They should stand out not only with their knowledge and teaching ability but also with their attire, lifestyle, and representation in social environments. It is not possible for a teacher struggling with livelihood to approach their students with confidence, perform competent teaching, or lead the public.

On the other hand, in recent years, the demand for schools that train teachers has begun to decrease. The reason for this is that young people do not prefer to become teachers. Years ago, teaching was a profession that adorned the ideals of most people; today, it has become a professional field that has lost its appeal. However, for the development of a society and the progress of a country, education is more of a priority than all other fields. To have a strong society, it is necessary to raise strong individuals. The way to do this is through education. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to be trained in a qualified manner and for the teaching profession to become respectable. For this, it is essential to protect, support, and improve the economic and working conditions of teachers and to make the profession attractive again.

Empowering teachers through their education, quality, and quality of life, and restoring their social prestige, is of great importance for raising qualified generations and for our country to keep pace with the age and walk into the future.

While celebrating the Teachers' Day of all our teachers, greetings to the teachers of the Republic.