"Internet Law" Assessed at the School of Politics

In its 6th week, the School of Politics organized by the School of Government and Leadership (HLO) addressed current issues with its distinguished guests.

The first session featured Syrian National Council Founding Member Mahmut Osmanassessing "Recent Developments in Syria" . Beginning his speech by emphasizing that the regime in Syria has completely closed off political space, Osman stated that even civil society organizations are banned in the country, that society cannot express itself, and that society experienced an explosion after political and social suppression. He noted that the events in Syria began as civilian protests, but Assad's forces, through violence, caused these civilians to take up arms.

Kocaeli Member of Parliament Lütfü Türkkan assessed the topic "Internet Law" in the second session. He stated that the three revolutions that changed the world are the agricultural, industrial and communication revolutions. At this point, he noted that the Turks actively participated in the agricultural revolution but remained distant from the industrial revolution; however, looking at internet use per household, Türkiye is in a good position in the communication revolution. He stated, however, that the internet law under discussion amounts to censorship for Türkiye.

"Cultural Policy and Cultural Tourism" was assessed in the third session with the participation of İzmir Member of Parliament and former Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay. He stated that the lands of Türkiye pioneered the oldest civilizations and that there are artifacts dating back 14 thousand years on these lands. Referring to his term as Minister of Culture and Tourism, Günay emphasized that they developed archaeology, and noted that the budget the state allocates to archaeology is small. Finally, he said, "Türkiye has no oil, but it has very valuable artifacts."

In the fourth session, moderated by Bahçeşehir University faculty member Gökhan Yüceland with the participation of OECD Deputy Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher , "Education Policies in the 21st Century" was assessed. Yücel stated that there are four important elements in 21st-century pedagogy: skills, personalization, digitalization and data-based policies. Schleicher discussed the purpose of the PISA exam, stating that it is conducted to identify people with different abilities. He added that people who can be different, who possess non-routine knowledge and who have capacities beyond what computers can do find better jobs.

In the final session, Bahçeşehir University faculty member and 5th-term Member of the European Parliament Ozan Ceyhun assessed "2014, the Year of the European Union for Türkiye" . He stated that 2014 is the Year of the European Union for Türkiye, noting that the EU did not criticize Türkiye after the 17 December process and that EU representatives acted cautiously during the Brussels visit. He emphasized that European Parliament elections would be held on 25 May 2014 and that Türkiye-friendly names would probably come to the fore in these elections. Referring to the Cyprus issue, Ceyhun stated that the EU looks favorably on the decisions taken regarding Cyprus.