By Selma Kasap

ANKARA

Just hours after being appointed to the new Cabinet, Turkey’s newly appointed national education minister said late Monday that he will strive to fulfill his new responsibilities guided by the principles of science and reason.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ziya Selcuk said: "We will make every possible effort with our team in light of science and reason."

Selcuk said he is aware of the difficulties of his new task, adding that his new ministry is not a one-man operation but will depend on teamwork.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday unveiled his new 16-minister Cabinet, the first ever under Turkey’s new presidential system.

Selcuk was born in 1961 in Ankara and studied educational science at Ankara's Hacettepe University. He later became a professor at Gazi University, also in the capital.

He headed the Board of Education and took part in Turkey’s EU accession negotiations in the field of education and science.