In the modernization of a society and a country, teachers are the most important architects

Cyprus International University (CIU) Faculty of Education academic staff Assist. Prof. Dr. Yurdal Cihangir, stating that teachers are the architects of people, went on to say, “By training competent individuals in every way and in every field, teachers are the important architects in ensuring the development of the society and the country, in brief, they ensure modernization”.

Pointing out that teacher not only share their knowledge, but also share their love and their hearts with their students, Cihangir elaborated, “The name of the individual who is by the side of students when their performance reduces, when they make a mistake, and during their difficult times, is a teacher”.

In reference to a speech Atatürk made in relation to teachers, Cihangir continued, “Atatürk: My friends, the revolutions that the new Turkey has made in just a few years, in the fields of military, politics, and administration, will come to be true with your; dear teachers, success in the revolutions you will make in society and in your intellectual lives.

Reminding that Atatürk desired for teachers to raise generations with "free ideas, free conscience, and free knowledge", Cihangir went on to state, "By having such an important duty, teachers also have very important social duties. The teachers of today, upon the path showed to us by Atatürk, are like a lamp that illuminates the future, giving light to others until they finish themselves”.

Emphasizing that in order to have an enlightened generation and an enlightened country, there is a need for teachers, Cihangir concluded his words by explaining, "We should not refrain to give the necessary value to our teachers, as a society, and as a nation”.