On Education

Local private schools with Foreign language education medium

Recall your secondary school years or remember your children at that period. Try to remember the foreign teachers at that time. Graduates of the prestigious schools of the United States of America, or in Britain, they are employed by public institutions and private sector companies. Those who are not favored by them seek their place in the overseas. What was common in those new graduates who accepted jobs in overseas? These people were well educated, but they could not find work in their homeland on the main continent due to their different characteristics.

Because they were born reactionists, dissedents, they were among the minorities, they thought differently, they behaved differently, they wanted to lead different lives.

They were looking for the freedom they could not find in their home country, but overseas. They are not only in foreign schools, but also in embassies.

Blacks, dissidents, gays, intellectuals, later famous writers were among them.

Writer Arthur Huxley was in SriLanka, author George Orwell lived in Burma.

Robert College and Bosphorus university in Istanbul had many foreign writers, thinkers and academicians, they have taught and influenced the students' thinking structure.

My English teacher Mr Robinson was black American, he had found freedom in Turkey that he could not find in America. People here treated them equal, they don't see any color difference. Ted English teacher Mr. Tikfur gave lectures with his great diction, then he moved to Bilkent University, he was a fan of classical music and opera.

My British general manager Mr. Green, who was crushed earlier while working in American companies, close to his retirement he wish to run a JV company overseas with a little more active mission in Turkey.

I had a lot of foreign teachers while studying at METU University Mechanical engineering department between 1968-73. They were masters of their courses, their knowledge was profound and effective, they answered the questions clearly with no hesitation.

German academics who were fleeing Hitler's Germany before the Second World War, they had brought an incredible quality of education to Turkish universities.

These people came to us, they declared their own open-minded ideas in their works, they lived their lives here according to their preferences, the students of foreign-language schools were inevitably influenced by them, and the children studying here had a more liberal open-minded structure. These are the cases in Ankara TED, Robert, Tevfik Fikret, French Charles deGaulle, German, Austrian high schools, as was seen in the universities Bosporus, metu. American PeaceCorps came, so we all learnt who is the American citizen, what/how does s/he think? All of them wrote reports, articles, memoirs, novels about the countries in which they served.

It was good, they lived in the unknown countries like us, they made us more known.

Now the structure of local public education has changed, there is no more normal high school education. The cost of private education with foreign language has become more difficult, religious education has gained weight in free education,

new appointments have not been made to normal high schools, the annual student fees of private schools have reached incredible-inaccessible levels.

People have become seriously contemplating immigration abroad for their children's education. The annual fee for 2019 for Ankara Ted kindergarten is 71,200 Turkish lira (or 10k€). In Bilkent Blis, METU schools, the annual tuition prices of secondary schools are very high. The annual tuition fees of Istanbul private schools are higher.

In the upcoming year, they will reduce the number of foreign teachers in private foreign language schools for cost saving. The Turkish teachers receive 10 thousand lira per month salary, foreign teachers get twice as much per month.

We don't know how private schools can say that they do excellent education in foreign languages without foreign teachers.

Now it is announced that Mathematics will be elective, religion course would be compulsory, in our time it was the opposite.

If we buy S400 missiles, we do not know what to do, but forget to get the F35s. Akkuyu nuclear power plant foundations have cracks,

Commercial airplanes can not land on new Istanbul airport due to hard wind. It is humored that it not an airport, almost as if there was a large shopping mall. There are no walking tracks, no meteorological radar, no subway.

We have no educated young generations who will find solutions to all these problems. We do not have a system of education for them to develop solution-oriented people. What is your experience? How did your children/ grandchildren get education? What kind of education system are we expecting for them in the future? Where is this country with eighty million headed to? How longer shall we endure?

Ankara 22-May 2019

68 Generation

What happened to the 68 'generation?

68' generation is what we call the group of young people who were studying at the university in year 1968. This generation covers those who were in universities between 1964-1974. It was hard years. The right-wing government used hard methods on university students. Interior minister ordered on the phone to the security forces, "Beat them so that they have no courage to go out into the street," he said.

It was known that PM of that time supported the hard situation.
Later in time, he got friendly with the intellectual circle, he tried to get better as he became president.

The 68 generation youth were beaten, tortured, mutilated, imprisoned, even killed.

But what happened to those who suffered with psychological disorders, were dissipated and got insane?

Nobody wrote about them. This article was written in their memory.
At the beginning of 1968, I was in the first grade of the metu mechanical engineering department. All engineering students took physics chemistry lessons together in the big hall of the triple auditorium. Students who do not stay in the dormitories were coming from the city with shuttle buses to catch up with the lectures in the last minutes. The students staying in the dormitories were keeping front seats. We are trying to listen to the lectures from the back rows. No private cars were available.

Rich poor we all use the same school shuttle buses.

We all had velvet pants, necked wool sweaters, many of us have a army coats and a military boots. There's a young man coming to class. His dresses were different, expensive, high fashion, they're all brand. In the lecture, he asked questions from behind, his English was excellent. Probably he was a graduate of private Robert or german high school in Istanbul. His friends were rich, different, well-educated elite groups.

He had come to the name of METU University for reputation, he could read it in Istanbul or abroad.

He had probably in a rented house in town. He didn't stay in dormitory.
The school took a half-year spring break, then we had boycotts, detention, deaths.

Poor students were more resilient. They were forced to move on to get degree.

Then the courses started again.

The young man was somehow arrested, stayed sometime inside, but there were serious changes in him, something happened that he didn't deserve.

His Balance has gone, his daily clothing unchanged, dirty weary clothing, he could not talk, he could not have eye contact.

The group of rich friends around him disappeared.

He was spending hours in the library, he wasted time.
I suppose he failed in class that year, he couldn't attend school,
Ten years passed, I saw him in the Ankara American library. He entered the library, when the library opened, he remained there until it was closed, he was staring books.
He had poor suit and worn shoes.
The American library was closed, this time I saw him sleeping on the benches of the Botanic or Constitution parks, he was walking unforeseen times occasionally on Jinnah Street in Ankara.
His hair got lengthened, with long beard.

He had a typical homeless - look.
His schoolmates couldn't possibly have known him, so I knew him because I saw him from time to time. Now I don't see him anymore. Maybe I don't have any visit on those sides of the City.

The strong politicians of that time no longer live now. They passed away, they are not remembered. Their names are forgotten.

In the meantime, 68 generation were crushed, disappeared, and our future came to the place where we had never been in the hands of people who were unforeseen earlier.
Ankara 22-May 2019

New istanbul airport

New Istanbul Airport is opened. I have too many news comments complains evaluations about the new airport. It is as in famous Turkish saying "The caravan gets better organised on the road"" There are problems in the new settlement phase,
we cannot ignore them, we need to identify the problems first to solve the problems.
Let us list observations from news reports.
As the new Istanbul airport is very large, it requires walking crossing over long distances, so there must be better and more hiking bands, electric car services for the elderly, their numbers  should be increased and they should be immediately available when requested.
The passenger bellows are not working, they must be activated as soon as possible.
The length of the taxi time that the planes spend on the landing and take off is very long, and the passengers are waiting 30-45 minutes in the plane after landing on the airport.
It takes a long time to get to the airport from the city center and that travel time takes almost 2 hours to get to the airport. Taxi fare is  at least 120-150 ₺ for 60- km in city traffic. Metro rail transportation needs to be completed. On sabiha gokçen airport on the other side of the city, subway transportation has not been completed for years, it also has to be completed, there is empty terrain from pendik tavşantepe to  Sabiha,
so why  laying the rail does it last so long?
The new airport is only working for thy, Turkish national airline, there are no other known reputable  big airlines, small airways such as atlas, astana, rarely lands here.
In FlightRadar we see a decrease in the number of flights, there is not enough air traffic, large big reputable airlines do not comehere, new airport must pass international-north america-western european security inspection and prove itself.
Migratory birds were not covered not seriously considered in the construction  at all, from africa to eastern europe in May, and reverse from east europe to africa in september, 5-6 million storks-flamingos over airport airspace for millions of years.
how will they pass through this route? It is very important danger, great risk.
At the airport, investors put a off-the- shelf ready project on the north-south axis in the current place, but the prevailing wind was not taken into account which blows from the  north-east. As the airplanes go by, the winds are coming on the sideways, however the boeing and airbus airplanes are currently resistant to wind at 100km /hour, but at higher wind speeds, planes can be highly affected in landing.
Sabihagökçen passenger and airplane traffic increased by 50%, even by taxi or shuttle bus from atasehir or bostancı- kartal - tavşantepe 25-km not much, taxi fare is 50₺
In FlightRadar review,  the new airport traffic is relatively less. Even public officials still use the Yeşilköy, the new airport is left to the ordinary  citizens.
İt is too big, huh? Is it safe? Easy to access? Far away from migratory birds? Are the passenger bellows working? Is catering properly? All this in time? Will it be all right? Will the caravan improve on the road?

Istanbul, 6-May 2019

Nursing home in istanbul

Elderly at Nursing home in Istanbul

My father stays in a nursing home, I  visit him frequently  in his single room.
He is old, Physically weakened, he has difficulty to walk, his movements are slowed, he goes often to the toilet. However, his mind is solid, he is reading daily newspaper of his preference, he is following local political agenda, he is watching news from the TV in his room, listening to trt3 classical music programs.
He watches everthing around himself very carefully and records them in his mind.
He's classifying everyone with respect to himself. He's telling me a hard times of the past he had with himself, he remembers old times and giving specific places and names. He is eating simple special meal for the elderly.
His meal  comprises simple soup, boiled vegetables, cauliflower bean, leek, then rice - rice or bulgur- or pasta, finally yogurt. Together we drink tea without sugar. I read him loud newspaper articles.
Home staff is taking him to other seniors on the -1 floor while I'm away,
There are mostly elderly with Alzheimers. Here staff  calls them "sick". There are unresponsive old people looking empty.
There is a former professor of physics, since I know his name I searched through googlr,  he has a doctorate degree  fro. Britain, he eas the department chairman in the university. He has worked in high-level public institutions, he has written a lot of scientific papers, now sits unresponsive in the TV room, lives like a dream.
There is another social scientist woman professor, her mind has gone completely, unresponsive. She is Watching Trt music Tv program with empty eyes.
She sits in the corner chair quiet.
There is a very rich businessman who owns a bus business in his younger years.
His children are stopping by the occasional at weekends. There's no money here, no wealth, nothing.
There is an old man who stayed in the US for many years. He is brought here since it is cheaper look after here. His children will pay  here half the US nursing home care services. Nobody's been visiting him for 2 years. The man forgets where he is and he starts to speak english, nobody understands, the staff doesn't know english. The man speaks English, explains his desperation. He was obviously earning good money in the US by the time, he's got insurance, he had income, but instead of paying more money in the US, they left behind here where they would pay more reasonable.
There is another group of normal elderly people, they are staying at +3th floor single rooms, they come together at the +4 floor, wood painting together, and they are doing chat activities.
Among them there is a retired ambassador who speaks very good English and French. He served in Newyork, Riyadh, Accra and  in many other important centers in his youth. The ambassador is physically intact, dressed up nicely, but experiencing some dementia. He has difficulty of hearing, having the difficulty of remembering the names, difficulty in choosing the appropriate words while talking. He has ripples, he reads a daily newspaper of his choice, he watches tv listens to classical local radio, he goes out and walks around on a daily little trip. He has no money in his pocket, just socialising , no way to shop.
There is another lady who happens to be an late ambassador's wife, she has difficulty in bodily movement, but her mind is intact, she is participating in wood painting activities at the +4 floor.
There is an old man in the room next to my father, he sits in his room, if he can get permission he comes out of the building at front door to chat with people.
Nursing home has well trained young hard-working, knowledgeable, helpful staff. Home has capable experienced husband-wife owner- operators. It is not easy to solve the problems of more than 50+ elderly, caring them, caring their health, shelter, caring their  nutrition,. The staff are young most of them are from south eastern provinces. Here they work at minimum wage. Friendly, well-intentioned, long-term work is not easy work  to care seniors.
If the elderly health is good, if his/her mind is good, it is relatively easy to survive. however if his/her mind is turbulent and his health is not so good when everything gets harder,  it is not easy to ask anything from the staff, then it is the difficult times for the elderly. The daily visit and care  of  the elderly relatives gets important.
My late mother had speech difficulties occurred due to calcification in the brain vessels in her last year, she gave short answers to questions, everyone thought she was suffering from dementia, but probably she could see - hear - feel - understand everything around herself, but she couldn't talk.
The life of elderly  people in the nursing home is not so easy, however the situation of those who are forgotten is more difficult.
Life begins, ends in a way, there is no going back.
This beautiful gift given by the Creator should be spent in the best way possible.

Prinkipo, May 5, 2019

İdef 2019

On 2-May 2019, I visited 14th idef Defence Fair in Beylikdüzü. It is in the first five biggest defense fairs of the world. It is the most important fair in the middle east region. In order to participate in the event, I had to apply via the internet in advance and receive a security clearance. Only then, I was admitted. Upon arrival at the fairgrounds, I saw a long queue and a strict security check. The location was easy to get to by Marmaray and the Metrobus; there was no parking allowed for the strict procedures. At the exhibition, the first thing that got my attention was the Koç Group’s Otokar military vehicles.: the autocar armored tracked communication vehicles Tulpar Corba Akra.
There were many locally manufactured hand pistols, automatic rifles, armored combat vehicles, helicopters, aircraft drones, missiles, rockets, storm howitzer, warship models, combat boots, camouflages, and security scanner equipment.
Companies such as Aselsan, Roketsan, Meteksan, Tusaş, FNSS, Kale, Nurol, BMC had all leased booths. There were also some foreign supplier companies from the Ukraine, Pakistan, Italy, Germany, Russia, China and Singapore.
Our perception of threat is very different compared to the NATO and North America. We have an intense civil war danger perception, we have fragile relations with our neighboring countries, we have always been aware of the fact that we live in a difficult geography.
There were a large number of uniformed foreign officers who were visiting the fair. The soldiers were obliged to wear uniforms while visiting the exhibition, so all around us were uniformed military officers, police and special operations personnel.
The defense and interior ministers also showed up at the fair as well as many live TV interviews. I asked about the purpose of the special eye glasses on a combat armed soldier with full equipment, and he said, “We can see the presence of people with these glasses, their heart bests, whether they are dead or alive”.
It was so surprising that very sensitive new information so to speak was casually being shared at the exhibition for the sake of  more sales. The armed forces, the gendarmerie, security personnel, coast guards, everyone was introducing themselves.
Defense consulting firms, security contractors, defense magazines, and defense publications had hired stands to introduce their services.
There were many local as well as foreign troops, all with great interest, that visited the exhibition in large groups. One high ranking foreign officer in combat uniform asked to his translator in amazement: “Are all these products made in Turkey?”
There were lots of excellent tea and coffee service all the time, and there was also a buffet that offered affordable food to those that were hungry.
It was announced that there were export agreements made with Malaysia, Vietnam, Qatar, Oman, the USA and Germany for mine resistant armored military vehicles. Turkey is expected to export 2b $ of defense products in 2019, and this figure is increasing every year.
Defense industry has become a big business, this bi-yearly exhibition which was held in Ankara in the past, is now moved to Istanbul.
Recent defense politics, latest information on the S400 missile systems as well as Patriot systems, the F35 situation, Su57, nuclear industry, high tech communications, cyber security issues were also discussed in panels as well as in mutual meetings.
On display were laptop computers and tablets designed to work under harsh field conditions, computer-aided cartography, durable shoes, boots, helmets and armors.
In our geography, energy and defense go side by side. Therefore, we wish for more enthusiasm and local production capabilities for defense and energy markets.

Beylikdüzü 3-may 2019

https://sigmaturkey.com/2019/05/03/scenes-from-idef-2019/