BAU Chairman of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel Speaks at the US Congress

Enver Yücel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bahçeşehir University and Founding Chairman of BAU International University, continues his contacts in Washington DC, the capital of the United States. Yücel took part as a speaker in the panel on "The Role of Education in the New Economy" held at the United States Congress. Speaking at the meeting, which featured a Turkish university for the first time and was attended by members of Congress, academics, bureaucrats, think tank representatives, congressional staff and members of the press, Enver Yücel drew attention to education as the main determinant of economic growth.

Stating that he has spent his life researching education systems in Türkiye and around the world and undertaking initiatives in these fields, Enver Yücel said: "There are two reasons why education is important in the process of countries' economic growth. First, as people's skills increase, they generally become more productive and their wages and incomes rise. Second, for every country that wants to increase its GNP, globalization means being able to offer innovative products and services that can compete effectively in international markets."

"EDUCATION IS THE ONLY REMEDY, FROM ECONOMIC CRISES TO THE POVERTY OF A CULTURE OF PEACE"

Stating that the world is suffering through countless events such as migration, epidemics, terrorism, environmental pollution and political and economic crises, Yücel draws attention to the fact that we are heading towards a divided and fragmented world, especially in ethical terms. Stating that these developments are distancing people from one another, making them insensitive and alien to each other and even turning them into enemies, Yücel said: "The real remedy for all of this, for all countries and for all of us, is education, our common denominator for solutions to problems. We have begun to seek in education the solution to many common world problems, from economic crises to the poverty of a culture of peace. Just as any problem today is the problem of all humanity, the common fundamental solution to all problems is education." Stating that there is agreement on the solution but that action is being taken too late, Enver Yücel said: "We want production-based education that carries the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. In this way, we want economies to renew themselves and production to flourish. While doing this, measures must be developed that will reduce costs, prevent problems and prevent illness before it occurs. The direction, reason and amount of consumption, as well as production, must be questioned. Today, our greatest expectation from education is to ensure that people are equipped with a culture of living together. Because today's problems are knotted at this very point."

"TEXTBOOKS SHOULD CONTAIN FRIENDSHIP, NOT HOSTILITY"

Stating that none of the leaders who aspire to govern their countries has the right to adopt an attitude of hatred and othering, Yücel said: "Discourses of hatred and resentment may help them come to power in their countries, but in the long run they will cut their countries off from the world and darken the future of their people. Leaders should make greater use of a common world language. Textbooks must be cleaned up. Our children can of course take pride in the heroes of their countries, but let them read about friendship, not hostility, in the books they read; let them develop a strong confidence in living together and a common future through their education. Let them learn to share the world and life, which they will color with their own beliefs and freedoms, in civilized relations with all of humanity."

"REFUGEES SHOULD NOT BE ONLY TÜRKIYE'S PROBLEM"

Stating that as a result of recent events there are 1 million 600 thousand Syrians in Türkiye, in addition to refugees from Iraq, Yücel emphasized that the number of migrants hosted by all of Europe is 400 thousand, and that even this example is enough to convey the scale of the drama. Yücel said: "As Bahçeşehir University, we conducted research on children who have taken refuge in our country from the war. The results are heartbreaking. Every picture the children draw contains weapons, blood and tears. These children must be educated. There are more than 50 thousand young people who would attend university or who have had to leave their universities. More than 600 faculty members have had to leave their universities and have taken refuge in our country. I propose an education initiative that will enable them to continue their university life in the safe regions of Türkiye. As you will appreciate, this issue should not be only Türkiye's problem."

"NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO SOW THE SEEDS OF HOSTILITY BETWEEN PEOPLES"

Also referring to the events at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Enver Yücel said: "What has been done at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the holy site of 1 billion 300 million people, means disregarding these people and toying with their beliefs. How will we erase the hatred this leaves behind tomorrow? What gain can those who gave the orders that led to this hope to achieve from these events? Are those who create the perception that this aggression belongs to a civilization aware of what they are leaving to the future? Peoples are brothers and sisters; no one has the right to sow the seeds of hostility between them. Therefore, those who frighten people with weapons inside a mosque in Jerusalem cannot be representatives of a civilization. Neither peoples nor civilizations are responsible for or guilty of such attitudes. Leaders who represent nations must act with the awareness that they are responsible not only to their own societies but also to humanity and history."

 "HUMANITY WILL BE SAVED NOT BY WARS BUT BY VICTORIES IN EDUCATION"

Stating that foremost among these events threatening the world is the failure to sufficiently internalize a culture of living together, Yücel said: "Our hope and expectation is that one day societies will demand more resources for their education than those allocated to armament. They will never forget that humanity will be saved not by wars, but only by victories in education. Every country struggling with educational problems will surely understand that it cannot be saved by the weapons it buys and will abandon this path. All people will learn and succeed in coming together around the common values of humanity and respecting one another. Our expectation is not much more than this: Let our children grow up healthy, be well educated and live in peace."