Graduation joy was experienced at İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Yuvamız İzmir Children's Activity Centers. President Dr. Cemil Tugay, who gave diplomas to students at the graduation ceremony held at the Historical Gas Factory, announced that the number of Yuvamız İzmir centers increased from 14 to 20 in one year and that they aim to reach 30 branches in the next year. Reminding that they reduced the monthly fees from 10 thousand liras to 5 thousand liras, President Tugay gave the good news that they aim to reduce the fees even more as the number of centers increases.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay attended the IZELMAN AŞ Our Home Izmir Children's Activity Centers 2024-2025 graduation ceremony held at the Historical Gas Factory. While 14 students graduated from 151 branches last year, 20 students from 291 branches experienced the joy of graduation this year. Mayor Tugay noted that they aim to reach 30 branches in the next year. Reminding that they reduced the monthly fee of 10 thousand liras to 5 thousand liras, President Tugay said, “As we increase the number of our centers next year, we aim to reduce the monthly fee to 4 thousand liras. It is an honor for us. We want every child in our country to benefit from these opportunities completely free of charge. We hosted around 300 children this year, next year it will be 2 thousand, and this will increase even more in the following years, but we know that there are still many children we cannot reach. We still have tens of thousands of children who deserve to be happy, socialize and get to know life in such a center. We will continue to work for them.”
“We all must question”
In his speech, President Tugay thanked Yuvamız İzmir teachers and employees for the service they provided to children and said, “Children are the ones who will establish the future of the country, education is what will convince children to do the right things. Atatürk said ‘education’ for him. That is why he made the education reform. Education was the thing he valued the most in the country. He put the education of children and young people before everything else. When we look back from that day to the present, unfortunately, we have lost a lot in the quality of education in our schools. Our country, our people, and our parents have to face this and ask the following question: Why are we not making the investment it deserves in education while there is a lot of wealth in many comfort zones in our country and investments are being made in many areas? Do the children of our country have equal rights regarding education, are they given equal chances? Why did we establish this state? Didn’t we establish this state so that our children could have equal educational opportunities? I think it is time for all of us to question this.”
“The importance of pre-school education”
Emphasizing the importance of pre-school education, President Tugay continued his words as follows: “What a person needs to mature, become equipped and knowledgeable, be able to cope with the difficulties in life, be self-confident, be a happy and social person, and live life as it should be by sharing it with other people is pre-school education. This is what we teach our children at our Yuvamız İzmir centers. We teach them to know themselves, to know friendship, to do things together with other children by considering their rights, to know their surroundings and cities, and we teach them the values they need to protect. Values that enable us to resist with that willpower, even when the lands we are on are cruelly occupied by others. Values that do not accept the hunger of their neighbors when they are hungry, and share the food they cook at home with them. Values that ensure respect for the elders and love for the younger ones. Values that enter into any kind of struggle without blinking when this country, this homeland needs it. Values that do not get arrogant because they are given a seat under them, and do not try to rob the state and the nation when they have the opportunity. These are the kinds of people we want to raise. "Aiming to do so, our friends embraced those children by teaching them these values."
Birthday celebration for President Tugay
After his speech, President Tugay presented diplomas to the students of Yuvamız Izmir. A student who remembered President Tugay's birthday celebrated his birthday on the stage. President Tugay was also given flowers by the children. President Tugay also took a souvenir photo with the children and parents.
The performances were met with applause
At the ceremony, one student from each of our 20 Homes in Izmir took the stage and performed a pennant show called “We Are Strong Together”. During the show, each child spoke words about the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and received great applause. In addition, 5-year-old graduate students presented the Turkish flag and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and İZELMAN AŞ pennants to 4-year-old students. The program also included students performing dances such as zeybek and waltz, as well as musical performances. The most applauded part of the ceremony was when the students recited the verses of the National Anthem and the Student Oath. İZELMAN Board Chair Aybala Yentürk, İZELMAN AŞ General Manager Yılmaz Mede, and Assistant General Managers Merve Doğan Gürsel and İlknur Tanrıverdi also attended the graduation ceremony.
Our Home İzmir Children's Activity Centers, which provides preschool education to children between 36-66 months, is preparing to open two more branches in Tire and Urla soon. In addition, branches will be opened in Cengizhan, Tınaztepe and Toros.
