Following the Traces of an Educational Heritage

One of the brightest chapters in the history of Türkiye’s development and enlightenment is undoubtedly the Village Institutes project, launched in the 1940s. Led by the Minister of National Education Hasan Âli Yücel and İsmail Hakkı Tonguç, these institutions were not merely places for teaching literacy; they were production centers that raised individuals “through life itself”, covering everything from agriculture to arts and technical skills to critical thinking. To overcome the current stagnation in Turkey’s education system, what we need is not to physically bring back these institutions, but to restructure their philosophy of “education within work, through work, and for work” with a modern vision.

Systemic Collapse and the Need for Village Institutes

Our current education system is structured to provide a theoretical information overload that fails to integrate knowledge with production. The Village Institutes were a model where knowledge was not just memorized in a classroom but applied in the fields, workshops, and laboratories. In the Türkiye of tomorrow, education must teach individuals not just “what to think”, but “how to produce” and “how to solve” in a world where technology and industry are changing rapidly.

Students taking agriculture lessons and teachers instructing them at Village Institutes, Türkiye’s educational reform.

The First 100 Days and Beyond: A New Restructuring Plan

A fundamental repair of education following a change in administration can be built upon “New Generation Technology and Life Institutes”, the modern versions of the Village Institutes:

• Production-Oriented Schools: A campus model where education buildings do not only consist of classrooms but also include agricultural areas, software labs, and design workshops.
• Reform in Teacher Training: The greatest achievement of the Village Institutes was training teachers as “community leaders”. Priority should be given to training teacher candidates equipped not only with pedagogical knowledge but also with the technical and social skills to solve societal problems.
• Regional Curriculum: Every region of Türkiye has different needs. Specialized educational units should be established, focusing on agricultural technologies in the Aegean, industry and artificial intelligence in Marmara, and renewable energy in the Southeast.

Modernizing the Philosophy of the Village Institutes

It is a great misconception to label the Village Institutes as “old”; on the contrary, this model was a much more advanced version of today’s “project-based learning” or “STEM” education. Three core principles must be preserved in the new restructuring:

1. Democratic Governance: An environment where students and teachers have a say in school management and where critical thinking is encouraged.
2. Culture and Arts: In the Institutes, every student was required to play an instrument and read world classics. In the new system, arts and philosophy should not be electives but fundamental pillars that develop intelligence.
3. Integration with Society: Schools should develop alongside the people in their surroundings, producing scientific solutions to local problems.

A Return to Enlightenment

Turkey’s escape from its economic and social impasse depends on making a transition from “Quantity to Quality” in education. The Village Institutes were a project that trusted the potential of the Anatolian people. The new educational order we establish in the Türkiye of tomorrow must promise our children not just a diploma, but a free mind, productive hands, and a bright future.

A strong Türkiye will be rebuilt on the day when knowledge meets production in its classrooms and every child grows up with self-confidence, just like an “instituter”.

 “Point Zero” of Politics: A Transition Scenario for Türkiye Post-Election

The end of an era and the quest for a new beginning; in Turkish political history, elections are not merely about the results emerging from the ballot box, but are also society’s search for a ‘new social contract.’ In particular, the allegations surrounding the use of public resources, tender processes, and the relationship with state institutions necessitate the establishment of not just a new government, but a new ‘order of law and transparency’ following the election.

So, after a process filled with such exhaustion and allegations, how can a new administration repair this damage?

The First 100 Days: Stopping the Bleeding When you take over the administration of a state, the first 100 days are not about ‘showcase projects’ but a period of ‘assessment and stabilization.’ The primary goal during this timeframe is to place the gears of the system on a rational and transparent foundation:

Taking an X-ray Transparently revealing the true dimensions of the Treasury and public liabilities.

Restoring Confidence Rebuilding the trust of market players and citizens in institutions like the Central Bank and TURKSTAT through merit-based appointments.

Administrative Pause Temporarily freezing large-scale expenditures until the flow of public resources is fully understood.

Legal Accountability or Revenge? This is the most critical threshold. In a country where social polarization is deep, there is a fine line between the demand that ‘corruption must be accounted for’ and the risk of a ‘new political revanchism.’

The accountability process must be conducted not with a thirst for revenge, but through ‘universal principles of law.’

The path to this requires:

• The establishment of special anti-corruption prosecutor’s offices that will not fall under political influence.
• The complete independence of institutions such as the Court of Accounts (Sayıştay) and MASAK.
• The implementation of asset recovery mechanisms that meet international standards.

Systemic Transformation: Facing the Truth Prosecuting individuals is merely a result. True success lies in closing the systemic loopholes — such as arbitrary appointments, opaque tender processes, and the lack of oversight — that created this ‘culture of corruption.’ For Türkiye, this is not just a change in government, but a process of institutions returning to a state of ‘collective reason.’

As we approach 2027, Türkiye’s greatest test is not just economic restoration, but the repair of social trust. Confronting the mistakes of the past should be viewed not as a tool for a rematch, but as a method for democratic cleansing while laying the foundations for the future.

A strong state survives not through its secrets, but through its transparency. The reconstruction of Türkiye will begin precisely on the day that this transparency is established. If the new administration fails to manage this process correctly, it is highly probable that they will not be re-elected in the following election.