If you want to know whether the education is as critical as oxygen and food in our life, you just need to be a member of a multi-children family in Eastern and Southeastern regions in Turkey, or you should see their living conditions.
When in 1963, I and my father were traveling in car around the location where now Mardin Artuklu University is situated, he told me his wish that someday a university would be built there so that the children of the locality would not need to go to places that were far away,and would stay here.
A portal of civilizations, Mardin has gained a brand new face in the last 50 years thanks to investments and efforts by both the state and many businessmen from Mardin who are in love with their hometown. We are now gradually reaping what we have sowed so far. Now everyone at home and abroad has a better idea about Mardin’s historic and cultural importance. It is really a big pleasure for me and all Mardin aficionados to see that things have come so far.
Our children who have to go various universities in other towns in Anatolia and are not able to complete their academic studies for various reasons at a place far away from his or her family will now have the opportunity to go through their academic studies at a place close to their homes.
I believe that Mardin Artuklu University will turn into a very respectable educational institution in the world in a near future as it has set its vision as a modern, well-respected and authentic Social Sciences university with a mission to transport the historical and socio-cultural heritage of the Middle East to a universal level from a local one. Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem Economic and Administrative Sciences Faulty whose foundation was laid down on October 25 will be at the service of our students in the field allocated to the university with:
• 14 large classrooms, each one with a capacity of 42 students;
• 3 small classrooms, each one with a capacity of 25 students;
• 8 lecture rooms, each one with a capacity of 100 students
and it will shed a light to the future of almost 800 students.
We are ready to do all those tasks that we have to in order to elevate our university to a brand in the real sense of the word. I would like to give you further good news here: Our services in the field of education will go beyond this and we plan new ones for 2011. We have initiated works for a college-level high school that we plan to build in Mardin.
We will complete and open Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem College and Study Complex whose foundation will be laid down in Bayrampasa Istanbul as of February 2011 merely within two years.
The support that we are honored with from top levels of the government, in particular, Mr. Abdullah Gul, our President, gives us inspiration for new projects. I would like to thank all of them with all my heart for all our young people who knows the importance of education in our country.