The 5th Istanbul Education Summit, organized by the Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMV) to comprehensively address the social and cultural impacts of education, concluded on Saturday.
Held at the Atatürk Cultural Center, the final day featured highly engaging sessions titled “Beyond Curriculum: The Art of Humanity,” “From School to Society: Collaboration Ecosystem,” and “A Call from Youth to Tomorrow: From Ideas to Action.”
Associate professor Zeynep Arkan, chair of the Istanbul Education Summit Organizing Committee, emphasized in her closing remarks that over the two days, shared emotions and ideas transcended language barriers.
She stated, “Society does not improve alone, no child grows up in isolation, and the future does not flourish under a single perspective. The world transforms when many viewpoints come together. In Istanbul, not only minds but hearts connected.”
Highlighting that the summit was more than an academic discussion but a humanitarian gathering, Arkan drew attention to the hardships faced by children from war and crisis zones such as Syria, Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Afghanistan. She concluded, “The name of war changes, but the broken voices of children remain the same.”
TMV President Mahmut Mustafa Özdil said the foundation’s educational activities reach over 70,000 students across 64 countries. Özdil noted that Istanbul’s historic role as an education hub has contributed to the summit’s success, adding, “We bring together academics, policymakers and practitioners from around the world in Istanbul to discuss current educational challenges.”
The summit concluded with an award ceremony honoring distinguished participants, followed by a group photo marking the event's close.
