Outcome: CONTEMPORARY VILLAGE AND CITY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES FOR OUR COMMON FUTURE

[LMGlobal.Org] Under the leadership of [IşıkBinyılı.Org] “The Light Millennium Global” and the Işık Binyılı Association, and with the contributions from the Atatürk World Platform (ADDP), the American Turkish Women’s Association, and the New York Atatürk School, the virtual event titled “ Turkish Village Institutes: A Unique Education Model” was successfully presented on April 19, 2025, as part of the 85th Anniversary Celebration of the Turkish Village Institutions (founded April 17, 1940). The keynote speaker of the program was Cengiz Öksüz, who has served three terms as the President of the New Generation Village Institutes Association (YKKED.Org.Tr), Istanbul Branch, and is currently a board member of the same organization.
The celebration commenced with Ali Tuna Özer‘s piano piece, “Echoes of the Past.”

Welcoming & Opening Remarks by Bircan Ünver:

Bircan Ünver, founder-president of Light Millennium Global and IşıkBinyılı.Org and session moderator, highlighted the event’s focus on the Village Institutes’ 85th anniversary, featuring Cengiz Öksüz’s broad perspective on their legacy, unique model, and impact on development. Ünver noted Öksüz’s emphasis on the Institutes’ pre-official localized beginnings around 1936 and the 1943 formal curriculum, asserting their enduring global relevance for equal, quality education and national progress, aligning with UN SDG 4. She pointed out that Türkiye laid the foundations for SDG 4 in the 1940s as a “national development program,” envisioning the Village Institutes as a core inspiration for “Compulsory Peace Education with ICT,” a campaign aligned with the UN’s Summit of the Future and its “Pact For The Future.”

Ms. Ünver pointed out that the foundations for SDG 4 (Quality Education), one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, were laid in Turkey as early as the 1940s as part of a “national development program.”

Moreover, she noted that this program did not focus on why the Institutes were shut down or why they haven’t been reestablished under current conditions, but instead presented the vision of the Village Institutes from a broader perspective. This vision is proposed as a general recommendation to be included as part of global compulsory education, especially in light of the 2024 UN Summit of the Future and the Pact for the Future, and in support of SDG 4: Equal and Quality Education for All. She emphasized that the Turkish Village Institutes model is one of the core inspirations behind the vision that has been developed for the “Compulsory Peace Education with Information & Communication Technologies.”
This program marked the second of its kind in the Turkish-language series promoting the vision of “Compulsory Peace Education and ICT from Kindergarten to K-12, and Beyond.”
Further, she elaborated that the very first one on this concept in Turkish was presented at the 41st TÜYAP Istanbul Book Fair on November 7, 2024. Including the English-language programs that were presented under the same campaign, since September 2024, this was the fifth one that each one delivered with a specific focus.
Furthermore, Ms. Ünver announced the sixth session of this campaign for September 13, 2025, in support of the International Day of Democracy (September 15).
Following this, Ms. İlknur Boray, V.P. of the Atatürk World Platform, briefly introduced music teacher Kadriye Akkuş Bayraşa to deliver her Opening Remarks.

OPENING REMARKS

Opening Remarks by Kadriye Akkuş Bayraşa:

Representing the Atatürkist World Thought Platform, Kadriye Akkuş Bayraşa conveyed her honor in commemorating the Village Institutes’ 85th anniversary. As the daughter of a graduate and a teachers’ training school alumna with 40 years in music education, she emphasized global Atatürkists’ readiness to promote the Institutes’ model, alongside Atatürk’s peace philosophy, for societal advancement through education. Bayraşa underscored the significant impact of Village Institute educators on rural progress, drawing from her father’s experiences as a student in 1940 and the enduring bonds formed. She highlighted the disciplined and inquisitive environment fostered, even recalling her father’s dedication to learning with limited resources. Explaining the role of a “belletmen” as a supervising teacher, she listed their essential qualities. Bayraşa affirmed the model’s alignment with Atatürk’s vision, realized by İsmail Tonguç and Hasan Ali Yücel, advocating its secular and democratic principles as a global example, also noting the strong music education within the Institutes.

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Keynote Speech by Cengiz Öksüz: 

Cengiz Öksüz’s keynote address at the “Village Institutes in Turkey: An Original Education Model” event, commemorating the 85th anniversary of these pivotal institutions, provided a comprehensive historical and socio-economic context for their emergence. He vividly depicted Turkey in the 1930s and 1940s, a nation where rural life was characterized by antiquated agricultural practices using the Hittite-era “karasaban” plow, the absence of modern farming equipment like tractors, reliance on animal power for field work and transportation, and even the scarcity of basic tools such as axes, saws, and nails in villages. The lack of infrastructure, particularly roads connecting rural areas to urban centers, severely hampered the marketing of agricultural produce.

Öksüz detailed the Village Institutes’ establishment in response to Turkey’s challenging 1930s-40s rural conditions: outdated agriculture, scarce resources, and limited infrastructure. He stressed the dire educational state, with most villages lacking adequate schools and qualified teachers, hindering national development. Öksüz outlined the CHP’s 1935 recognition of this crisis and the subsequent development of “Eğitmen Kursları” under İsmail Hakkı Tonguç, leading to the 1940 Village Institutes Law after a four-year experimental phase. The core mission was to train “useful personnel” for villages, combining teaching with practical skills to foster self-reliant progress from within. Öksüz elaborated on the democratic, co-educational boarding system with practical learning and a flexible curriculum. He highlighted the Institute’s rapid achievements in construction, agriculture, and training thousands of educators and health workers with minimal funding. 

In his concluding remarks, Öksüz re-emphasized the Village Institutes’ unique nature, tailored to the specific realities of Turkey at the time, where villages needed not only teachers but also skilled individuals in various trades and basic healthcare. The Institutes had begun to fulfill this need but were tragically dismantled prematurely. Öksüz asserted that no other country had replicated such a transformative educational initiative, rightfully recognizing İsmail Hakkı Tonguç as an “education revolutionary,” a status acknowledged in the Swiss Education Encyclopedia published in 1950.

Lamenting their premature closure (1946-1954), Öksüz argued that this impeded rural advancement. He concluded that the Village Institutes were a unique, locally tailored educational breakthrough, recognizing Tonguç’s revolutionary impact, acknowledged internationally.

Interactive Session: Village Institutes: Education and Social Progress

The program continued with an interactive session that received considerable interest, questions, and comments from the audience.
This section focuses on the history and significance of the Village Institutes in Turkey. Öksüz provided detailed information on the establishment of these schools, their curriculum, and especially their impact on women’s education. He emphasized that the Institutes aimed to eliminate rote memorization and instead promote practical education.
Fatma Aytaç, President of the Red Pepper Association, expressed concern about the current state of education in Turkey, particularly regarding girls. Other participants, including Professor Sibel Erol and documentary filmmaker Ufuk Karataş, shared their views on the significance of the Institutes and their role in promoting education and social advancement.

CLOSING REMARKS

Closing Remarks by Bahar Yasemin Ünlüsoy:

Bahar Yasemin Ünlüsoy expressed pride in closing the 85th-anniversary event, emphasizing the organizing institutions’ commitment to Atatürk’s principles and modern secular education. She questioned how the Village Institute model could be revived in today’s digital age, facing climate crises and societal changes, suggesting a multifaceted education supporting local production, harmony with nature, creativity, and digital literacy. Ünlüsoy advocated for a service-oriented, collaborative approach with applied learning to preserve this legacy. She proposed modern rural education centers integrating academic and practical skills in areas like sustainable technology, local arts, and digital content, fostering productive, community-contributing individuals. Ünlüsoy noted the potential for global collaboration to enrich these local centers, promoting intercultural exchange and global problem-solving. She concluded by stressing the importance of updating the Village Institutes’ human-centered approach with universal values, digital skills, and environmental awareness, thanking participants for their commitment and hoping for future gatherings.

CONCLUSION

Following Ünlüsoy’s closing remarks, the session moderator, Ünver, thanked the participants, speakers, and Mimoza İrtem, the project assistant of “Light Millennium Global,” for technical support regarding their contributions to the program on Village Institutes and Atatürk’s vision. She also announced a forthcoming virtual event on September 13, 2025, within the framework of the International Day of Democracy (September 15), focusing on the theme of “Compulsory Peace and Information Technologies Education.”

As a key outcome and shared vision during the 85th Anniversary Celebration of the Village Institutes, titled “Village Institutes in Turkey: An Unique Education Model,” the keynote speaker, other distinguished speakers, and participants in the interactive session collectively emphasized the need to re-establish village institutes – or potentially urban institutes – not only in Turkey but globally, particularly in underdeveloped countries, in line with contemporary needs and technological advancements.

The program addressed the historical context and significance of Türkiye’s Village Institutes, established after the founding of the Republic in 1923 to provide education and vocational training in rural areas, aiming to cultivate well-equipped generations capable of developing their native villages and regions.

Specifically, within the context of sustainable human development and the United Nations’ Summit of the Future (2024), including “Our Common Future” and the “Pact for the Future,” opinions were shared and proposals were made for the re-establishment of these institutions not by the private sector or individuals, but through political will and as the backbone of the country’s education and development program.

The program concluded with a short speech by Ali Tuna Özer, followed by his piano performance of his composition “Towards Bright Tomorrows.“

On the 85th anniversary of the enactment of the Village Institutes law, the program saw online participation from America, Europe, and Turkey, facilitated by technological opportunities. A total of 83 relevant individuals registered for the program.

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