The Mayor of Istanbul and the Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Alliance, Ekrem İmamoğlu, inaugurated 5 newly completed nurseries in a joint opening ceremony. Reminding that Istanbul had no nurseries or dormitories before, İmamoğlu said, “The previous administrators who managed Istanbul for 25 years never thought of a single nursery. They did not even consider issues such as equal opportunities in education… They did not open nurseries or dormitories, but we will hopefully increase their number even more.” İmamoğlu, who defined educational inequality as a “crime against humanity”, said, “We are striving for our children to become self-confident, kind-hearted, and democratic individuals. We want each of our children to be strong. Strong children raise productive generations. Strong children raise generations that are never deceived.”
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) held a joint opening ceremony for 5 new Yuvamız Istanbul Child Activity Centers, which provide equal opportunities for children and operate under the İBB Social Services Department. The event was hosted by Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu, the wife of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the 13th Presidential candidate of the People’s Alliance, and was attended by members of parliament, Ali Kılıç, the Mayor of Maltepe, and representatives of the Women’s Branches of the People’s Alliance parties, as well as İmamoğlu and his wife Dr. Dilek İmamoğlu, who is also a People’s Alliance candidate for Vice President.
The ones who managed Istanbul for 25 years never had the idea of a single daycare center in their minds.
Starting his speech at the ceremony with the words “We have left April 23 behind, but hopefully the celebration will never end for us. Like a festive day, because we are opening a daycare center,” Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Alliance Ekrem İmamoğlu stated, “Daycare centers are one of the most valuable steps taken for our children and for the future of our country. It is the most contemporary step taken to ensure that they are equal to children in developed countries around the world. We are opening these daycare centers so that the children of the Republic can receive education under equal and fair conditions. Because the Republic, above all, means equality and justice for children. Especially in education, it means equal opportunities. The ones who managed Istanbul before us for 25 years never had the idea of a single daycare center in their minds. They have never thought of a matter like equal opportunities in education. It is not just us saying this, statistics prove it. Sometimes when I mention our daycare services and say that there were no daycare centers before us, even they do not believe me. They say ‘there must be’, but I say no, they did not open any. They did not open dormitories like daycare centers, but we will increase the number of these centers even more, hopefully.
According to İmamoğlu, who is the mayoral candidate of the opposition alliance and also the candidate for vice president, all the children of these lands are the sons and daughters of the state and the nation. In his speech, he stated that they will allocate Istanbul’s resources to the right projects, and will not provide services through associations or foundations that are not known or whose control is not oriented towards the needs of the people. He emphasized that their services have a single address, which is the institutions of the state, and a single understanding, which is the project of the state and the nation. İmamoğlu also stated that all the children of these lands are the children of the Republic and the sons and daughters of the state and the nation, and it would be a betrayal to divide them according to their personal characteristics such as language, belief or political view.
In this statement, İmamoğlu emphasizes the importance of providing equal educational opportunities for all children, regardless of their family’s income level. He describes the opening of public preschools that offer modern and scientific education to children, where they can grow and develop their talents with joy and happiness. These preschools are focused on the public interest, and their opening is intended to benefit the local community. In addition to providing education to children, İmamoğlu’s administration also supports parents by offering job opportunities or vocational training through Enstitü Istanbul ISMEK. The goal is to strengthen the relationship between parents, preschool teachers, and the local community to promote the development of confident, good-hearted, and democratic individuals. By empowering children, İmamoğlu believes that they can become productive and creative members of society who will not be deceived or misled.
In this speech, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, talked about the importance of providing equal educational opportunities for children regardless of their family’s income level. He emphasized the need to invest in early childhood education to ensure that children grow up in a healthy, nurturing environment that promotes their intellectual and social development. He also discussed the importance of building strong relationships between parents, teachers, and the community to support children’s growth and development.
İmamoğlu invoked the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, to emphasize the importance of nurturing a generation of young people who are confident, respectful, and committed to the values of democracy, justice, and love of country. He expressed his belief that a government that is dedicated to serving the interests of all citizens, especially children, will come to power in Turkey. He also praised Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the opposition party, for his commitment to prioritizing the needs of children in his political agenda.
“We Will Walk Together with Hope and Determination into the 2nd Century”
Emphasizing that Turkey will be freed from all the troubles brought about by being governed by a single mind, İmamoğlu stated that “A consensus-based administration that works without any discrimination will take office. We will walk together with hope and determination into the 2nd century of our republic. Together, we will build a Turkey where children can receive pre-school education in every neighborhood and village. As stated by our 13th President, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, we will reopen village schools and enable the children of those families to meet with teachers again. Today, we are opening 5 new kindergartens in Maltepe, Ümraniye, Büyükçekmece, Ataköy, and Tuzla. We know how much Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu and his wife care about children and kindergartens. Our foremost goal has been to ensure that every kindergarten we open has the most qualified physical conditions, no discrimination is experienced, and regardless of the income level of the child’s family, all the opportunities available in the most superior educational institutions exist here as well. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this effort in front of all of you here today.”
Speaking at the ceremony, Maltepe Mayor Ali Kılıç expressed his feelings by saying, “Since our valuable mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, took office in this period, the 150-kindergarten project has started, whereas we did not even have a single kindergarten before. They have been working hard to bring our children together with kindergartens since they arrived. They are tackling the problems of Maltepe and Istanbul, and producing solutions. On behalf of myself and all Maltepe residents, we wholeheartedly thank our mayor.”
After the speeches, İmamoğlu invited the Yuvamız Istanbul kindergarten students to the stage, and together with Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu, Dr. Dilek İmamoğlu, members of parliament, Maltepe Mayor Ali Kılıç, and Women’s Branch representatives of the Nation Alliance parties, he inaugurated the kindergarten.
Source: (BYZHA) Beyaz Haber Ajansı
