A commemoration ceremony was held at the European University of Lefke (EUL) to mark the 87th anniversary of the death of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Founder of the Republic of Turkey. University leadership, faculty members, administrative staff, and students attended the ceremony, which took place at 09:05 in front of the Atatürk Bust on the EUL campus.

The commemoration program began with the laying of a wreath at the Atatürk Bust by EUL Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Yükselen. It continued with a speech on the significance of the day delivered by Asst. Prof. Dr. Çağda Kıvanç Çağanağa, Vice Dean of the Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Education, and concluded with a moment of silence followed by the recitation of the National Anthem.

A seminar titled “Atatürk and Education” was held.

Alongside the commemoration ceremony, a seminar titled “Atatürk and Education” was held in the EUL Cinema Hall by the Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Education, where guest speaker Nazife Uçar, a History and Social Studies Inspector from the Ministry of National Education of the TRNC, delivered a talk emphasizing that Atatürk saw education as the cornerstone of a nation’s modernization and independence. She asserted that true national development requires a scientific, secular, and nationally grounded education system; she highlighted that after the proclamation of the Republic, Atatürk introduced far-reaching educational reforms to raise literacy rates, increase public awareness, and cultivate generations equipped for the modern era, including the enactment of the Law on the Unification of Education, the introduction of co-education, the transition to the Latin alphabet, and the establishment of Public Schools (Millet Mektepleri) to broaden access to education.

Uçar stated, “Atatürk placed great importance on ensuring that education reached every segment of society and strongly advocated for the enlightenment of people living especially in the villages.”

In her speech, Uçar also touched upon the Village Institutes, stating: “Atatürk placed great importance on ensuring that education reached every segment of society and strongly advocated for the enlightenment of people living especially in the villages. Inspired by his principles of ‘equality of opportunity in education’ and ‘the peasant is the true master of the nation,’ the idea of the Village Institutes emerged during the Republican period. The vision laid by Atatürk was realized in 1940, after his passing. The Village Institutes became a concrete reflection of Atatürk’s principles of populism, productivity, and national consciousness in education.”

At the end of the event, a certificate of appreciation was presented by Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Oğuz, Dean of the Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Education.