100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REPUBLIC CELEBRATED WITH ENTHUSIASM AT BİRUNİ UNIVERSITY

The 100th anniversary of the Republic was celebrated with great enthusiasm at Biruni University on Sunday, 29 October at 10:00. The opening ceremony started with the presentation of Hakan Türker DULKADİROĞLU, Director of Health, Culture and Sports. The programme continued with a moment of silence for Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK and the martyrs and the sibging of the National Anthem. 100th anniversary speeches were delivered by Biruni University Rector Prof. Dr. Adnan YÜKSEL, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa SOLAK, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Sevim SAVAŞER, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma ÇELİK and Dean of Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Adnan ÖMERUSTAOĞLU respectively;

Rector YÜKSEL: Republic means enlightenment and democracy

Biruni University Rector Prof. Dr. Yüksel started his speech by saying, "Republic means enlightenment, independence, democracy."Prof. Dr. Yüksel stated how many difficulties our country overcame during the establishment of our country until the republic was declared and said, "The whole world invaded our country so that the Turkish nation would disappear, but we did not give up and fought as a nation. Let us be aware of the kind of a noble nation we are descendants of. "In this context, he emphasised that we should work hard and expressed the necessity of staying away from laziness and lack of effort in order to continue living in the most beautiful lands of the world. Reminding Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK's words, "Societies that want to live comfortably; without working, tiring and producing are condemned to lose first their dignity, then their freedom, and then their independence and future.", he said, "Life is a playground where no one can win except those who do their job well and do good." and underlined our responsibilities. He congratulated everyone on the Republic Day and concluded his speech by saying that he wishes it lives for many centuries.

Vice Rector Solak: Development of Universities in the Republican Period

Prof. Dr. Solak took the stage and said "I am happy to live this day together, this day will never happen again. The pride of seeing the 100th anniversary of the Republic is a great happiness for us." In the continuation of his speech, Solak explained the history of the first universities in the world and stated that Italy, France and England were pioneers in this regard. Solak said that modern Turkish universities started to be established in the Republican period and added: "Higher education, which entered an important development process during the Republican period, is shaped according to the socio-economic structure of our country and this service is largely provided by the state. In this respect, he stated the efforts of the Republic of Turkey to increase the level of education. Expressing the biggest step taken in this regard, Solak said, "Darülfünun was abolished and Istanbul University was opened with this arrangement in 1933." and conveyed the decisions taken for the modernisation of the institutions established before the Republic.

Vice Rector SAVAŞER: The Concept of Republic and Atatürk's Understanding of Republic

Prof. Dr. Savaşer started her speech with Zeliha Yüksel's poem "Meaning Republic"; "Republic means the homeland watered with the blood of martyrs. It means the blue sky, the air we breathe, the soil we live on, the flag with the moon and the star waving". Referring to the importance of the concept of national struggle for independence, Savaşer said, "The fruit of the struggle waged during the War of Independence was, the republic. She also stated that Atatürk always took his strength from the Turkish nation and that democracy is an indispensable element for our country and the cornerstone of the republic. She concluded her words by saying "It is our sole aim to ensure the integrity of our country and to move forward on this path".

Vice Rector ÇELİK:  Women in the Republican Period

Prof. Dr. Çelik, who started her speech by mentioning the role of women in the history of the republic, stated how indispensable the republic and freedom are for us with the lines of the National Anthem "I have lived free since the beginning, I will live free, I wonder which madman will put chains on me". By quoting Atatürk's words for Turkish women, "No woman of any nation in the world can say that she has worked harder than the woman of Anatolia in leading her nation to salvation and victory.", she expressed the sacrifices and sufferings of Turkish women during the establishment of the republic. She said that the establishment of the Republic should be understood as a turning point in the social and political lives of women. Çelik concluded her speech with the words "Long live the republic, long live the republic".

Dean of the Faculty of Education ÖMERUSTAOĞLU: 100th Year Philosophy of the Republic

The dean started his speech by greeting all the guests with respect and affection and continued by mentioning the philosophical and historical processes of the concept of republic:  "Why did Atatürk not continue with monarchy? Why didn't he switch to aristocracy? Why did he especially choose the Republic?", "When we say republic, the republic is a form of state. What crowns the republic is democracy. It is also a form of government." He underlined the importance of the republic and democracy for Atatürk.

The 100th Anniversary Ceremony continued with the "Republic Poems Recital" followed by the performance of the "100th Anniversary Anthem" specially composed by Azerbaijani artist Turan Manafzade. The ceremony ended with a photo session with all participants. After the ceremony, the "Photograph Exhibition of those who left their mark in Health, Science, Art and Sports during the Republican Era" and the "Contemporary Turkish Women" painting exhibition were visited.