A programme organised by Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) especially for 24 November Teachers’ Day, which attracted great interest and carried the theme “Nurettin Topçu: The Teacher as the Artisan of the Soul”, was filled with emotional moments.
The programme, held at the HKU Congress and Culture Centre under the coordination of HKU Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Şener Büyüköztürk, was attended by Deputy Minister of National Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Osman Sezgin, Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin, HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, Deputy Governor Anıl Alkan, Advisor to the Chair of the HKU Board of Trustees Dr. Songül Kalyoncu, Gaziantep Provincial Director of National Education Yasin Tepe, as well as education administrators, teachers, students and faculty members.
MARTYRED TEACHERS WERE NOT FORGOTTEN
In the programme, which began with a moment of silence and the Turkish National Anthem and continued with opening speeches, presentations in memory of martyred teachers gave participants emotional moments. In the programme, where feelings of gratitude and thanks to the martyred teachers were expressed, teachers Aybüke Yalçın, Necmettin Yılmaz and Ayşenur Alkan, who were martyred as a result of terrorist attacks, were remembered with respect.
Speaking at the programme, Deputy Minister of National Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Osman Sezgin first drew attention to what must be done to understand the thinker Nurettin Topçu. Sezgin mentioned that Nurettin Topçu’s doctoral work was chosen as the most successful doctoral thesis of the year at the Sorbonne University and that, according to the university’s traditions, the student who comes first is always rewarded; he noted that although many material requests could easily have been met, Nurettin Topçu asked for the Turkish flag with the crescent and star to fly at the Sorbonne University for a week, and said: “We need to think carefully about the meaning of the word teacher. It means a person who is full of compassion, full of tenderness, full of mercy, and who has an infallible mind. That is, one who sees their student long before their own children, and who thinks of their student before themselves. Like our teacher Ayşenur Alkan, who was martyred the day before yesterday. She took her students down to the lower shelter, and when she went back upstairs to check whether any other student had been left outside, she was martyred.”
Speaking at the opening of the programme, Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin said: “Here I remember Hasan Kalyoncu with mercy and gratitude. Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of his passing. He had the aim of serving society and increasing society’s knowledge and wisdom, and he started with the right model. After his passing, it is very meaningful that his name is kept alive at this university that trains teachers.” As Şahin prayed for God’s mercy upon 5-year-old Hasan Karataş and Teacher Ayşenur Alkan, who were martyred in the rocket attack on the Karkamış district, the hall experienced emotionally charged moments.
HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, who gave a welcoming speech at the opening, emphasised the importance of training qualified teachers who will educate the students who will be the architects of Türkiye’s future, and thanked the Faculty of Education for its efforts to train qualified teachers and for its work in organising the programme.
HKU Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Şener Büyüköztürk, who also spoke at the opening, recalled that Aybüke Yalçın and Necmettin Yılmaz were martyred yesterday and Ayşenur Alkan today, and extended Teachers’ Day greetings to the teachers who serve with enthusiasm from kindergarten to university in every corner of the homeland where the flag with the crescent and star waves, and to their students, who are the teachers of the future.
THE PANEL TOOK PLACE WITH GREAT INTEREST
In the programme held under the theme ‘The Teacher as the Artisan of the Soul’, a panel was held under the moderation of HKU Faculty of Education faculty member Prof. Dr. Yaşar Özbay. Asst. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Kızıltaş from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Şahinbey District Director of National Education Dr. Erdal Kılınç and HKU graduate Primary School Teacher Oğuzhan Özdemir took part in the panel as panellists. While the panellists shared their memories and experiences about teaching and their professional lives, the students followed the panellists’ presentations with great appreciation.
The programme ended with the presentation of certificates of appreciation and a group photograph.
News: Çetin KARABIYIK /HKU
