In his speech, Tekin wished for a successful new school year and provided an evaluation of the Century of Türkiye Education Model. He said: This school year, we have implemented several innovations in Türkiye. As part of this, we have introduced changes under the Century of Türkiye Education Model, which is entirely skill-focused and aims to be competitive with its counterparts in the world. These changes involve three main elements: First, we have revised the philosophy of education from acquisition to skills, which is now widespread in the world and which all countries have started to use. Second, we have somewhat reduced the heavy information load in our curriculum that was challenging for our children and overly demanding for our teachers. Third, as written on the screen, 'Two states, one nation, and one heart.' We aim for our children to grow up with this philosophy. We have added content to our curriculum because we want to pass on our sense of nationhood, our awareness of living together, our past, and our history to future generations, using these as guiding references.

 

Tekin stated that significant steps have been taken to address the issue of qualified personnel needed in the production sector in the new period and continued his words as follows: In this new school year, we will implement these steps. Our core philosophy is that every child and every young person should have a profession. We have acted with this awareness and have taken steps to better prepare our children for life. Another step we are taking is recognizing that we, as parents, must also contribute. After sending our children to school, we often expect the school and teachers to handle all responsibilities. For instance, you might say, 'I have a child, but my work is very demanding and I come home late, so I can't give the attention I would like.' You're saying to the teacher, "Teach my child; be both a mother and a father to them. There are no siblings. Be like an older brother or sister." We expect the teacher to do everything. We have now started something like this in the new school year: We are saying that as parents, let's do our part; let's lighten the load for teachers so that they can focus more on education and teaching. By doing so, we believe our education system will improve, teachers will be successful, and our children will be raised in a good way.

 

Tekin emphasized that, following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's instructions, they have regarded the earthquake-affected region as their second home. He also mentioned that, through a coordination unit established by the Ministry, they closely monitor investments and construction activities in this region.

 

Tekin noted that they have nearly reached the number of classrooms and schools that existed before the earthquakes of February 6, 2023, in the affected region. He continued: Our President has instructed us to make all kinds of sacrifices and take all kinds of steps to eliminate the effects of the disaster in the area as soon as possible and heal the wounds. Therefore, I would like to extend my gratitude to our President for his oversight and instructions. Regarding education, let me say that on the morning of February 6th, before the disaster struck, our President had instructed us to construct classrooms in the 11 provinces that would exceed the number of existing classrooms. We are proceeding accordingly. As of now, we have nearly reached the number of classrooms we had before the morning of February 6 in all the provinces.

 

Tekin expressed that Azerbaijan never left Türkiye alone during the aftermath of the earthquake. He said, Today, we are gathered in a beautiful display of unity. This school represents not just a physical structure but also the 'two states, one nation' approach, symbolizing the solidarity of two leaders coming together in times of crisis. I hope that future generations will continue to uphold this unity even more strongly. I would like to once again extend my gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan through my esteemed friend. I also want to thank the TOKİ and MİDA officials and our ambassador, who contributed to the construction process of not only the school but also the entire neighborhood.

 

Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Emin Emrullayev stated that from the very first moments of the disaster, every Azerbaijani's heart has been beating in solidarity with Türkiye.

Emrullayev expressed his pleasure to be at the opening of the school built to support education in every field and continued his speech as follows: We have always tried to stand by our brothers and sisters in Türkiye. Azerbaijan's first initiative in the earthquake-affected region was to come together for the opening of the school named after Haydar Aliyev. Additionally, I would like to congratulate the teachers and students in both Türkiye and Azerbaijan on the start of the new school year. We are receiving a series of joyful news. We are inaugurating a school in Kahramanmaraş after the earthquake, and in the coming days, Azerbaijan will open schools in Karabakh and Shusha. After many years, our teachers and students will return to school there as well. Azerbaijan and Türkiye have been together for centuries, forming a family. The most important message we will give to our students should be that this family will grow even more, that the Turkic family and the Turkic world will be one and denser. At the same time, as Türkiye and Azerbaijan, we will open the Türkiye-Azerbaijan University in Baku, which is one of the most important issues in the field of education. This will be the best example of friendship.

 

Mustafa Levent Sungur, President of the Mass Housing Administration (TOKİ), emphasized that the efforts to rebuild and revitalize the cities in the earthquake-affected region are progressing rapidly.

 

Sungur reminded that TOKİ has initiated the construction of 204,000 housing units in the earthquake-affected region, with 76,000 units already delivered and a target to deliver 200,000 more units by the end of the year. He noted: 'In our Azerbaijan neighborhood, where we are today, a total of 1,110 residential units and 766 commercial units are being constructed. This includes 453 residential units and 328 commercial units by the Azerbaijani government and 657 residential units and 438 commercial units by TOKİ. In addition to the housing units built by the friendly and brotherly Azerbaijani government, an educational building, which includes a 20-classroom primary school and a 3-classroom kindergarten, has also been completed and made ready. The Haydar Aliyev Primary School and Kindergarten, which will be inaugurated today, covers a total construction area of 6,739 square meters, and the ground has been reinforced and improved with bored piles.

 

After the inauguration, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin and his entourage visited the school, met with teachers, and gave gifts to students.