A Gift to the 100th Anniversary of the Republic Türk Maarif Ansiklopedisi
Türk Maarif Ansiklopedisi (Encyclopedia of Turkish Education), prepared in cooperation with TÜBA and the Maarif Foundation of Türkiye, was published on the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
The comprehensive work on the history of Turkish education, prepared with scientific methods and reflecting Türkiye's rich heritage in education, was realized in order to contribute to the global understanding of education and to protect Türkiye's cultural heritage and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary. The first volume of the work, which was created with the contributions of expert writers and academics, contains 1200 articles and 1134 articles have been completed so far, and was published on www.turkmaarifansiklopedisi.org.tr. The work will consist of 5 volumes and will be made available in printed form when completed.
Türkiye’s roots, depths and culture were documented.
The introductory meeting of the encyclopedia was held at the Turkish Maarif Foundation. The meeting was opened by Prof. Dr. Birol Akgün, President of the Maarif Foundation of Türkiye and Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker, President of TÜBA. Prof. Dr. Azmi Özcan, Chairman of the Scientific Board of the Turkish Maarif Encyclopedia, and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, Chairman of the Executive Board also spoke at the meeting.
TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker said that the encyclopedia sheds light on Türkiye’s deep roots and cultural heritage. Şeker emphasized that the encyclopedia is both a legacy and a gift to be left to future generations.
Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker pointed out that the encyclopedia is the product of an intensive and meticulous effort and said, "This work is a collection of accumulation, a compilation of our heritage, but it is prepared as a beautiful gift to be left to future generations. We have tried to be a pioneer in the process. It is very valuable that Türkiye’s roots, depths, the culture of the past and the culture that will shed light on the future have been recorded. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sabri Küçükaşçı, who passed away, made very valuable contributions, and we cannot pass without mentioning him."
We cooperated with TÜBA and formed a scientific board consisting of experienced scientists of our country.
Prof. Dr. Birol Akgün stated that this project, which started during the pandemic period, aims to gather Türkiye’s extensive experience in the field of education. Emphasizing that education and training are not limited to schools, Akgün said that the encyclopedia is part of Türkiye’s efforts to produce publications with cultural content.
Stating that encyclopedias are a memory and at the same time a vision of the future, Akgün said, "While doing all this, we, as the descendants of a great nation that has established states and civilizations in a wide geography from Central Asia to the Balkans throughout history, are aware that while serving abroad, we are aware that we are doing so based on and relying on a great accumulation that our nation has developed in the field of education and training and that we have inherited. We wanted to compile this accumulation, this corpus, and put it at the service of the scientific community. For this purpose, we cooperated with TÜBA and formed a scientific board consisting of experienced scientists of our country. We have been thinking about this great work together almost every week for 3 years. Today, this work has emerged."
Prof. Dr. Azmi Özcan, Chairman of the Scientific Board of the Turkish Maarif Encyclopedia, stated that the Turkish Maarif Encyclopedia is an important work documenting the existence of Turks in the field of science and wisdom and said, "My story started with a phone call. The science committee gave me the task. We invested in history with this encyclopedia, which has an important place in the history of Turkish science and lore. We took care to protect the values of Turkish culture and to Turkify these concepts. ISAM opened their knowledge to us, I thank them. We took part in this work to keep Turkish education alive and take measures."
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, Chairman of the Executive Board, told the story of the project and emphasized that the encyclopedia will make an important contribution to the global education goals of the Turkish Maarif Foundation. The program was completed with Prof. Dr. Ahmet Emre Bilgili's detailed presentation of the encyclopedia.
