IMM President and Nation Alliance's Vice President candidate Ekrem İmamoğluheld the collective opening of 5 kindergartens whose construction was completed. Reminding that İBB did not have a nursery or dormitory before, İmamoğlu said, “Those who ruled Istanbul for 25 years before us did not think of a single nursery. They did not think of an issue such as equality of opportunity in education… They did not open a dormitory like a kindergarten, but I hope we will increase the number of these even more," he said. Defining inequality of opportunity in education as a 'crime against humanity', İmamoğlu said, “We strive to raise our children as self-confident, good-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," he said.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) made the collective opening of our 5 new Istanbul Children's Activity Center, which brings children together in equality and serves under the IMM Social Services Department, with a ceremony. Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu, the wife of the 13th Presidential candidate of the Nation Alliance, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the IMM President and the Vice President of the Nation Alliance Ekrem İmamoğlu with his wife, Dr. In the program hosted by Dilek İmamoğlu; MPs, Maltepe Mayor Ali Kılıç, representatives of the Women's Branch of the Nation Alliance parties also attended.
“THE WHO RULED ISTANBUL FOR 25 YEARS DID NOT REMEMBER A SINGLE KINDERGARTEN”
In his speech at the ceremony, he said, “We left April 23 behind, but I hope that the holiday will never end for us. Starting with the words "It's like a feast day, because we are opening a kindergarten", İmamoğlu said, "The nursery school is one of the most valuable steps taken for the future of our country for our children. It is the most contemporary step taken to equate them with children in developed countries around the world. We are opening these kindergartens 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. It means equal opportunity, especially in education. Those who ruled Istanbul for 25 years before us did not think of a single kindergarten. They did not even consider the issue of equal opportunity in education. It's not just us, statistics say. Sometimes, when we talk about our kindergarten service, when I say that there is no nursery before us, even they do not believe it. They say 'there is', I say no, they didn't open it. They did not open a dormitory like a kindergarten, but I hope we will increase the number of these even more," he said.
“ALL THE CHILDREN OF THIS LAND ARE THE SONS OF THE STATE, THE NATION”
Stating that they allocate the resources of Istanbul to the right works, İmamoğlu said, “We will expand their services through the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which is the city's own institution, not to associations or foundations that we do not know or that we can determine or not control the needs of the nation with the state's mind. This huge network is for everyone, 16 million people; It does not belong to a party, a person or a person's family's foundation or association. Our services in this sense have only one address, the institutions of the state. It has only one name, the project of the state and the nation. We act with a single understanding. It belongs to all of us, of our 16 million people and 86 million of us, not those who are never us or not. All the children of these lands are the children of the republic. All the children of these lands are the sons of the state and the nation. Separating them according to their parents' language, belief and political views is a betrayal of this country, this nation and humanity," he said.
“STRONG CHILDREN RAISES GENERATIONS THAT NEVER BE DECEIVED”
Describing children's benefiting from different educational opportunities according to their families' income levels as a crime against the country and humanity, İmamoğlu continued as follows:
“We have never been a bystander to these crimes, and we never will. In order for the children of low-income families to receive pre-school education and the children of this city to be equal, our children will grow up in these kindergartens intensively, in modern conditions, by getting scientific education and discovering their talents. They will grow up with joy and happiness. They will experience a healthy psychosocial development process. The kindergartens we have opened are fully focused on public benefit. When we open a kindergarten in a neighborhood, we calculate what we can add to the social life in that neighborhood. We also offer services to parents at different leisure times. We evaluate the weekends for the development of children. We do not forget the mothers who want to give their children to kindergarten and work. While their children are here, we find jobs for them through our Regional Employment Offices, or we include them in vocational training at the Institute Istanbul İSMEK and open up job opportunities. We are taking steps to strengthen the relations between mothers, fathers, kindergarten teachers and the neighborhood. Our children are self-confident, good-hearted, democrats. We strive to grow as individuals. We want each of our children to be strong. Strong children raise productive generations. Strong children raise generations that are never deceived. Strong kids are creative, they become inventors, they have inventions.”
TOGETHER WE SHOULD CLAVE
In his speech, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, said, “We must now accustom our children to express their thoughts without hesitation, to defend what they sincerely believe, and to respect the sincere thoughts of others. At the same time, we should try to arouse love and interest in the truth, good and beautiful things in their pure hearts, along with the love of the homeland, nation, family and citizen," İmamoğlu said, "Almost 100 years ago, we should all applaud the special expressions aimed at raising a democratic generation."
Maltepe Mayor Ali Kılıç, who spoke at the ceremony, also expressed his feelings, “In this period, our precious mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu' took over the task, 150 kindergarten projects started, and we didn't even have a nursery. Thanks to them, they have been trying to get our children to meet with kindergarten since they came. They deal with the problems of Maltepe and Istanbul and produce solutions. On this occasion, on behalf of myself and all the people of Maltepe, we would like to thank our president wholeheartedly.”
After the speeches, İmamoğlu, Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu, Dr. Dilek İmamoğlu opened the nursery together with the deputies, Maltepe Mayor Ali Kılıç, and representatives of the Women's Branch of the Nation Alliance parties.