First Lady Erdoğan attends Istanbul Education Summit

First Lady Emine Erdoğan and Syrian First Lady Latifa Al-Droubi attended the 5th Istanbul Education Summit held by the Turkish Maarif Foundation.

Delivering a speech at the “Healing the World through Education”-themed summit, First Lady Erdoğan said: “The summit will highlight education’s power to feed the humanity’s soul, heal the humanity’s wounds and enlighten the darkness. It will let us remember that the world in its most beautiful form can be built only by means of pencil and that the scales of justice can be fine-tuned only by people aspiring for such a world.” 

Currently there over 120 ongoing armed conflicts across the world, the number of hate crimes is increasing day by day, and Islamophobic crimes in the United Kingdom surged by 165% in 2024 compared with 2022, marking a new record, First Lady Erdoğan noted.

Pointing out that technology triggers fault lines that rock justice to its foundations rather than uphold humans’ dignity, First Lady Erdoğan went on to say: “Artificial intelligence, which ushered in a new era in humanity’s scientific progress, has unfortunately ended up as a war criminal. State-of-the-arts weapons were pointed at infants in Gaza. Those who are clueless about what compassion means went so far as to weaponize hunger and thirst. Humanity has once again seen how the knowledge that is devoid of wisdom could be employed in devising the evil. The fact that the architects of this physical and spiritual destruction are actually high honor graduates of the world’s top universities tells us something: Education, when one of its wings is broken, would push the world into the grip of hatred, racism, discrimination and colonialism.”

In a social media post regarding the summit, First Lady Erdoğan stated: “I extend my sincere wishes for the successful convening of the 5th Istanbul Education Summit, organised this year by the Turkish Maarif Foundation under the theme ‘Healing the World through Education.’

On this significant occasion, I had the honour of hosting Her Excellency Mrs. Latifa al-Droubi, the distinguished spouse of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Together with representatives from diverse regions worldwide, we convened to acknowledge the profound human, cultural, and societal transformative potential of education.

As Türkiye, we acknowledge that education, when elevated to the level of wisdom, is the sole remedy capable of healing the world.

For this reason, the basis of our educational philosophy is rooted in cultivating just and compassionate children who genuinely experience the suffering of humanity at the very core of their hearts.

Our Turkish Maarif Foundation, which has established a distinguished record in educational diplomacy, has been extending this vision beyond our national borders for many years.

We take pride in the fact that, through more than 500 educational institutions across 56 countries, the Foundation is cultivating exemplary individuals worldwide and thereby making a meaningful and tangible contribution to global peace.

I trust that the educational outlook of our nation—guided by a rich and enduring intellectual tradition—will persist in enhancing the representational capacity of our Maarif Foundation across our broader geographical reach, thereby inspiring future generations.

I express my sincere appreciation to all who contributed to this significant summit, where concepts are converted into tangible action.”