Minister of National Education Nabi Avcı received a delegation of children at his office at the Ministry on the occasion of the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

Minister Avcı stressed that ministers can be forgotten but teachers never went on to say “Come let us make a test. Ask your parents when you get home or when you meet your teachers ‘who was the minister of education when you were going to school?’ I bet you 99 percent won’t remember who the Minister of National Education was when he or she was at school. Then also ask them ‘ask them the name of their teacher at primary school first grade.’ All of them will remember who their teacher was. So teachers are never forgotten. Names of minister of national education can be forgotten but names of teachers never. If you ask me who the minister of national education was when I went to school believe me I don’t remember. But I do remember my teacher Nebahat Yıldızmbayrak. She was also the head mistress of our school, she passed away years ago, may Allah rest her soul in peace. Teachers are never forgotten. Ministers come and go but teachers remain in our hearts and in our memories. So tell my regards to your teachers.”

Saying he remembers his teachers at primary, secondary and high school Avcı said they had changed too many teachers at primary school but he still remembered all of them. Avcı went on to say “that is why we now changed the regulation of transfers of teachers and we are trying to keep a teacher in a school so that he or she can tend to a class continuously from first to fourth grade.”

Minister Avcı also told the children “convey my greetings to your classmates who could not come here. I congratulate the special occasion of your friends also. Tell them my greetings. Convey my regards and respects to your teachers. Convey my regards and respects to your parents. Tell them that your uncles, the Minister of National Education, the undersecretary of education and the Ankara provincial director all send their greetings.”

Minister Avcı also introduced Undersecretary of National Education Yusuf Tekin and told the students “the undersecretary is the second in the hierarchy of the ministry after the minister who tends to all administrative affairs.”

“Let us acknowledge the urban legend that ministers of education change to frequently” 

“We are famous at the Ministry of National Education for one thing. They always say ‘the minister of national education changes too frequently.’ So let us acknowledge this urban legend.” Then the minister had all the children sit in his seat of minister and temporarily made them minister. “Let all the children have their photos taken in my seat. Then they can go back and tell everyone ‘see I was minister.’ You can even use it as a reference when you grow up saying ‘once I was a Minister of National education.’”

First taking the seat Mina Geçer said “today is a special occasion.  Today is my day,

Our day. Today is the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. We are happy to be with you on the 95th anniversary of this day. We have to carry the principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataürk who presented this day to us from hearts to hearts and from generations to generations. I congratulate the occasion for all our young friends. I call on the whole world: Participate in our joy, let the world be happy. Let our day be a wonderful occasion.” 

A total of 16 students sat at the seat of minister. Ezel Nur, one of the students at the reception presented the minister with a pencil drawing of the portrait of Avcı.

After the speeches Avcı gave the children presents. After that 3rd grade student Tuana Toparoglu who came from Van gave information to the minister on her Project called “Give Support.” She said “its aim is to collect the books left on dusty shelves and thus distribute it to students. There are so many students at the village schools who need these books yet they do not have any books besides their text books. That is why I started this campaign.”

Besides the minister Deputy Minister Orhan Erdem, National Education Undersecretary Yusuf Tekin, Basic Education Director General Funda Kocabıyık ve Ankara Provincial Education Director Erol Bozkurt attended the occasion.