Turkey on Friday celebrated the national Teachers' Day, which marks the day Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder, was given the title of 'Head Teacher' in 1928.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a message emphasizing the importance of teachers in a society.
"Societies which fail to give teachers the value they deserve and fail to show necessary sincerity in the face of their devotion will have no future," Erdogan said.
National Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz and 81 teachers from 81 provinces of Turkey visited in the morning Ataturk's grand mausoleum complex in Ankara, Anitkabir, which also houses a museum.
The Directorate of National Education in Istanbul organized a ceremony in Taksim Square.
General Command of Gendarmerie posted a video on its official Twitter account to celebrate the day and to commemorate teachers martyred by the PKK terrorist organization.
"Teachers! The new generation will be your masterpiece,” the Gendarmerie said in a message citing Ataturk’s well-known quote.
On June 9, 22-year-old music teacher Senay Aybuke Yalcin was killed in a PKK attack as she was returning home from school in the Kozluk district of the southeastern province of Batman.
In Kozluk, an orchestra comprising 33 music teachers performed to commemorate the teachers as part of the ceremonies on Thursday.
Appreciation to teachers
On June 9, 22-year-old music teacher Senay Aybuke Yalcin was killed in a PKK terrorist group’s attack as she was returning home from school in the Kozluk district of the southeastern province of Batman.
Another 23-year-old elementary school teacher also became victim to a PKK attack around the same time. Necmettin Yilmaz was kidnapped by a group of PKK terrorists in Pulumur district of the eastern province of Tunceli.
His burnt-out vehicle was found on June 16. His body was recovered almost a month later near the Pulumur Stream.
Meanwhile, students across the country showed their appreciation to their teachers in various ways.
Teachers were showered in bouquets of flowers, cards, and gifts of all sorts.
Students of all ages danced, performed concerts, read poems at their schools with pure excitement of enthralling their mentors.
Elementary school students in central Karaman province surprised one of their teachers Ersin Celik by hanging his picture on a billboard with a message paying tribute to him.
Expressing his feelings, Celik told Anadolu Agency: “On this meaningful day, encountering such a scene alongside my precious parents and students is not something that I would ever forget. I am overwhelmed.”
Teachers' Day has been celebrated every Nov. 24 since 1981.
