President Ersin Tatar on Wednesday received the Turkish Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer who is in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for a series of contacts.
Özer and his accompanying delegation’s contacts in the TRNC are focused on teacher training programmes as well pre-school and special needs education.
The Turkish Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer and his accompanying delegation embarked on their contacts in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Wednesday.
They were first received by President Ersin Tatar.
The Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu and the Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu were also present at the meeting.
Speaking first, the Turkish Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer said that cooperation between Türkiye and the TRNC in the field of education was growing stronger by the day.
“I’m here with my team. We will be holding talks with our Turkish Cypriot counterparts on pre-school education, professional training for teachers and special needs education,” he said.
Özer added that the Republic of Türkiye attached great importance to regularly offering professional training to teachers, offering equal and fair access to pre-school education for all as well as keeping up with technological advancements in teaching and learning.
He said that he was ready to support the TRNC in any way possible and that he would be sharing their experiences with their Turkish Cypriot counterparts.
President Ersin Tatar for his part underlined the importance of strengthening the TRNC’s education system.
He said that Türkiye’s experience in the field was extremely valuable and that they were lucky to be able to benefit from it.
“It is our duty to raise future generations who are well-educated, who have a good knowledge of their history and who have a strong sense of loyalty to their nation and state,” Tatar added.
The president also pointed to the importance of vocational education in the area of tourism.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Minister and his delegation visited the Lefkoşa Special Education Centre and met with the students.
As part of his contacts Özer also met with Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre and Prime Minister Ünal Üstel.
In the afternoon Özer will exchange views on education policies and cooperation with the TRNC Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu.
During the visit, delegations from the two countries also held technical talks on pre-school, primary education and secondary education to strengthen the common values in the curriculum and course contents.
The Turkish minister will also attend the opening ceremony of the TRNC e-Exam hall as part of his contacts.