TOMORROW’S YOUNG GENERATION OF TURKEY: IS IT A DREAM?
SEPTEMBER 1, 2004
By Melih BİLGİN
Prior to latest goverment budget discussion, there was one point which I have really interested with?As the draft budget would be approved, it would be the first budget of Republic of Turkey which educational system would deliver more resources than defense….

Every time I start discussion about it, I would be probably hearing a lot excuses about it, many good explanation about strategic position of Turkey, nice clarification about energy resources, etc, etc, etc…

I have never disagreed with these nice clarifications about the geographical, strategical position of Turkey but I have never found good clarification on What we are missing for our near future by spending less on our educational system?

As society, are we after the right things in the early stages of IT age? What is going to be requested from tomorrow’s young generation-today’s children- to be part of information society? Are we setting up the things right way for our kids to be competitive individuals in near future? What needs to be done to make our kids competitive individuals for European Society labor market?

Until couple years ago, asking those kind of questions was being considered as a strong opposition to existing system and was almost being “punished” somehow. Between the political arguments, the fact was fading off but thanks God, today it is more seeable, brighter And I believe, has better priority.

May be, being a father of lovely daughter is a catalizor of this discussion. Today, I can say that every memeber of society would aggree that existing educational system needs some serious “revolutionary changes” to find a good answer to all those questions.

The definition of tomorrow’s competitive individuals would be a good help to find right pattern out. So, lets do that…

Tomorrow’s Turkey’s competitive individuals should be multi language. Lingua Franca is a must but enough. Another language, could be Hebrew, Arabic, Urdu, Russian, Persian, Grek, Serbian, Chenese etc would also be necessary. Beyond that, learning the language is never enough, the young should also know the culture, history and the todays structure of the society which they they speak the languages… For doing that, the students should attend cultural Exchange programs during the education…

A clear analytical mind would also be a must for tommorrow’s young generation which can only be gained by asking right questions. Many times, I witness that right questions can be more imported than right answers. Analytical mind means the ability of analyses of the subject. For that, every dimensions of the subject needs to be understood by the students which leads us education in native languages.

The youngs should have special professions which they would be passionate to about their professions. One day, I would love to see, one of best high school student want to be an Egypytologist, or another one to be a nurse, or another one to be Historian…

The youngs should understand their culture, history from Edirne to Kars. The youngs in this society should communicate eachother, so they should know each other. Sunnis, Alevis, Kurdish, Turkish, Armenians, Greeks etc., they should be able create emphaty to understand each other, to generate peace together…

The better we understand eachother, the better stable peace we can create together and I believe a peacefull Turkey would be a backbone of paecefull World.

By melih Bilgin