Because I am determined to live and fight in this country.
I wish to be criticized, not be a critic.
I decided to do, not talk.
I was first immersed in the education issues of our country seven years ago with our Koç High School, and four years later with Koç University.
Launching into an area I thought I knew well made me realize I knew nothing.
Why did I become an education volunteer? Because Robert College had taught me mindfulness, and consistency in expressing my ideas, and to reveal my position. It had taught me to choose the path that required courage. To never fear the allegations of “wild, mad, big-headed or ambitious”, to avoid mediocrity or becoming a “yes man”.
Today is the anniversary of the March 27 local elections. The results were predicted for some sections of society, and a surprise for others; one thing they did was to mobilize non-governmental organizations, albeit briefly. Faxes were sent and meetings arranged. Thankfully a good deal of these activities focused on education. We must continue to gather these efforts so that they are determined and effective; we must never lose our enthusiasm. We must look back and assess what we could have achieved in the past year, what we actually did achieve, and where we failed.
Economic difficulties can be overcome, just as political crises can be resolved.
What can’t be done is to repair a society whose children have been dispossessed.
Today, 33% of our population is at elementary and secondary school age. The leaders of the future will rise from this group. (State Institute of Statistics, 1990 figures)
Today this group is at the stage when value sets and behavioral patterns are formed. They will have the correct impact on the future of the country so long as they receive high quality education in the correct direction. Should they fail to receive correct direction, our country will face far greater challenges than it does today.
Suna Kıraç, Ömrümden Uzun İdeallerim Var, pp. 213-14