President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with the students who will take the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) via video-conference.
In his speech before the conversation, Erdoğan expressed his pleasure for meeting with the young people. Wishing success to all students who would take the exam, Erdoğan said, “May Allah reward your efforts, studies, and endeavors in the way you imagine.”
President Erdoğan recalled that the dates of such examinations were announced months ago. Emphasizing that the date of YKS was also announced to the public a long time ago, Erdoğan added:
“Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic affected the schedule of the exams like everything else in our country. ÖSYM (Student Selection and Placement Centre) and YÖK (Council of Higher Education) set new exam date as a precautionary measure when the pandemic continued at full speed. Due to the uncertainties the world and our country faced, these kinds of cautious behaviors were inevitable regarding the exam dates as in every other field. The new date was set as a measure against uncertainty.”
“We have provided many additional advantages to our young people”
Noting that Turkey took place among the countries which carried out the fight against the pandemic in the most successful way throughout the world, Erdoğan stated the following:
“After taking the pandemic under control, you know that we started announcing the normalization calendar as of May 11. Within this framework, we have worked meticulously on the exam dates. In this context, the exam date was determined as June 27 and 28, which was the closest to the first announced date. Thus, our students, who were preparing for years to take the exam on the previously announced date, were prevented from experiencing unnecessary exam stress for another month. That’s not all. We have also provided many additional advantages to our young people, from reducing the subjects for which they will be responsible during the exam, to extending the exam period.”
“Turkey has great potential”
Pointing out that the pandemic had shown the importance of being self-sufficient in all main areas of production, agriculture in particular, and beyond that, the significance of fulfilling the demands of the world, Erdoğan added: “In this regard, Turkey has great potential in the period ahead. We are determined to make the best of this opportunity and to provide every young citizen of ours, who improve and distinguish themselves with their background and skills, with a line of business where they can work with their mind at ease.”
“We will provide our nation with a reliable internet platform”
Replying to the question regarding social media posed by Ozan Ferhat Aktaş, who graduated from Diyarbakır Fine Arts High School, President Erdoğan said:
“Especially we are not as detached from life as we are closing our eyes or turning our backs on the facts. In today’s world, we are aware of the fact that digital platforms and social media are so important that they cannot be neglected. The main issue here is that social media and internet platforms are transformed into a medium where all kinds of lies, slander, and deviance can freely circulate. Are we going to ignore the fact that internet channels, which do not remove the inaccurate content or allow it to be corrected, disregard even court decisions? All citizens and institutions, however, should have the right to preserve their moral and material reputation on social media and digital platforms just as they do in real life. As president, it is my duty to ensure that all citizens, especially our youth, can use social media effectively and at the same time on a moral basis. We are in preparation for creating a strong legal infrastructure about this issue. With the permission of Allah, we will provide our nation with an internet platform that is not only rich in terms of content but also reliable with the legal regulations that we will introduce.”
Measures against coronavirus
Upon the question of Alara Şişmanoğlu from Antalya about the novel coronavirus pandemic, President Erdoğan said, “Since March 10, when the first case was confirmed in our country, we have carried out an exemplary struggle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Stating that they had the opportunity to test the strength and capacity of the healthcare infrastructure and general health insurance during the pandemic, Erdoğan said that Turkey distinguished itself positively from the rest of the world in terms of diagnosis and treatment methods, the number of intensive care patients and deaths, as well as the measures taken against the virus.
Erdoğan noted that as one of the countries that managed the pandemic process in the most transparent way, nothing was hidden from the nation and international public and that Turkey successfully passed the tests in which even developed countries became desperate or left their citizens helpless.
Indicating that as the pandemic fell below a certain level, some of the strict measures in place were loosened, Erdoğan continued as follows:
“The fact that the number of daily cases and deaths has not yet fallen to the levels we desire indicates that we should not give up attention and precautions. The biggest duty in this regard belongs to our youth. In fact, our young people are the least affected by the pandemic owing to their age and health status. However, for the benefit of their family members and society in general, young people must strictly follow the principles of especially cleaning, distancing, and wearing masks. In many countries of the world, while elderly people have almost been left to die at nursing homes and their own homes, we have meticulously cared for our elders.”