Istanbul Bar Association President Kaboğlu reacts to Minister Tekin over 'Republic': It was never used in his message

Reacting to the fact that the word 'Republic' was not used in the message of Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, which was read at the ceremony held for April 23, Kaboğlu stated the following:

"This morning, at the ceremony held at the Republic Monument, the word Republic was never used in the Minister of National Education's message. According to our Constitution, the name of our country is Turkey; the name of our state is the State of Turkey or the Republic of Turkey; and the status of the citizens is citizenship of the Republic of Turkey. 

Citizenship of the Republic of Turkey is the status that equalizes children and us adults. Children are citizens of the Republic of Turkey from the moment they are born and registered in the population records; and we are officially citizens of the Republic of Turkey until we die.

We must always instill correct information in our children. However, the problem of children's rights may arise less in a society where human rights are developed. Just as children have the rights we possess, they also have children's rights in addition to these.

If parents do not possess a certain moral maturity, it is not possible for us to instill in our children the specific ethical values that we need to convey to them in the context of digital media. We must first acquire those ethical values ourselves. Asking children to do what we cannot do ourselves means teaching them hypocrisy.

While defending children's rights, we must keep the duties, obligations, and responsibilities of us adults on the agenda at every stage. 

In digital media, there is a new consciousness of publicity, different from classical publicity; because there is no real person, no interlocutor in front of us. Yet, we parents have not yet discovered publicity. Despite this, we are imposing new duties on our children."

This morning, at the ceremony held at the Republic Monument, the word Republic was never used in the Minister of National Education's message. According to our Constitution, the name of our country is Turkey; the name of our state is the State of Turkey or the Republic of Turkey; and the status of the citizens is citizenship of the Republic of Turkey… pic.twitter.com/A2YVSwUHmP

— İbrahim Kaboğlu (@ibrahimkaboglu) April 23, 2026

News Source: 12punto