The protocol of the Istanbul Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) Basketball Sports High School, which will be implemented jointly by the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Turkish Basketball Federation, was signed with the participation of Ministers Yusuf Tekin and Osman Aşkın Bak and TBF President Türkoğlu.
Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, President of the Turkish Basketball Federation Hidayet Türkoğlu, officials from the ministries and guests attended the ceremony held at the Basketball Development Center built in Zeytinburnu.
In his speech here, Minister Yusuf Tekin recalled the period when he served as undersecretary at the Ministry of National Education and said that he had a dream that he was pursuing at that time.
Tekin, noting that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, an unprecedented process of establishment in both education and sports was taking place in Turkey, said, “I thought that it was the duty of the Ministry of National Education to carry out a process that would fill this, that would bring sports and education, academic education and sports education side by side, and I dreamed of this for myself. At that time, in 2014, we implemented a concept called ‘project school’. We started in vocational high schools. I thought that we could make our sports high schools thematic and ensure that our youth and children receive sports education appropriate to their abilities from an early age, and that in this way we could serve Turkey’s sports infrastructure.”
Tekin stated that they brought exceptional features to schools defined as “project schools” in terms of creating curriculum and assigning teaching staff, and that they established vocational high schools in partnership with chambers of commerce and industry and large industrial establishments.
Tekin explained that they developed projects in terms of sports by opening joint schools with sports federations, primarily the Ministry of Youth and Sports, to ensure that children receive both the development of their sports infrastructure and a healthy academic education without getting them into the “Academic education or sports education?” fight.
Tekin stated that the most successful example of this was the Volleyball High School in Ankara, which they run together with the Turkish Volleyball Federation, and that they then established the Football High School in Riva in 2014 with Coach Fatih Terim.
Minister Tekin expressed his happiness for having realized another leg of a great project that can serve the country and the nation with the Turkish Basketball Federation, and said the following:
“With these projects, we have made an effort to provide a service that will enable us to take our children from a young age and train them in sports branches that they are interested in or talented in, to gain the mentality required by that branch of sports, to develop their culture, so that they can be role models for our children and youth, to represent our country abroad, and to raise them as ‘smart, agile and moral athletes’ in the words of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We have made the beginning of this.”
“Our Federation will provide career guidance to our children”
Noting that the Basketball Development Center built on the site of Abdi İpekçi Sports Hall will be under the responsibility of the Ministry for 29 years, Tekin continued as follows: “The school’s classrooms, sports halls and educational materials will be equipped by the federation. The school’s programs and course systematics will be prepared by experts determined by the Basketball Federation, approved and put into effect in conjunction with our Board of Education and Discipline. Our students will participate in TBF’s education, camps, training and competitions. Our Federation will provide career guidance to our children in this sense. Educational seminars and similar organizations such as refereeing, coaching, fitness, sports management will be conducted. Success scholarships and pocket money will also be paid to our students in accordance with the legislation of our Ministry of Youth and Sports.”
Tekin stated that they carried out a healthy consultation process with TBF during the preparation process and planned it down to the smallest detail, and expressed his wish that “Hopefully, it will be a good initiative that will serve Turkey’s sports infrastructure, especially its basketball-related infrastructure.”
Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak also underlined in his speech that the Basketball Development Center was a very beautiful work.
Minister Bak, who drew attention to the fact that the center includes a 10-person hall and the national team’s camp center, as well as a hotel, a museum and three halls for infrastructure, said that they wanted the sports high school to be located there as well.
Minister Bak, who also emphasized that he was very interested in basketball during his high school and university years, said, “We wanted to experience this excitement here as well. We are working to direct our children to at least two branches within the scope of the talent screening project. There are investments made in facilities. With our President coming from a sports background, dozens of facilities were built all around Turkey. One of the top examples of these is the Basketball Development Center. There is no such facility in Europe. We have also started the basketball high school project here.”
“Very successful athletes and managers will emerge from here”
Minister Bak, who emphasized that the sports high school will not only train athletes but also managers who will undertake important duties in sports, said: “Sports is an industry… There is no rule that everyone will be on the national team. Companies and clubs also need CEOs. Our children who graduate from here will be able to take part in other duties.”
Minister Bak, who stated that Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin had contributed to thematic sports high schools, continued as follows: “This was also his dream. We need to congratulate him. I also watched our children’s under-17 matches here. We missed the final. We need to raise the following generation with a good education. We want high schools and universities to be more effective in Turkish sports. We need to include high schools in this competition. We want to be a sports country, we want to invest in young people. I believe that very successful athletes and managers will emerge from here. Turkish sports will go to much better points. We are also happy to be here.”
Türkoğlu: “The foundation of a revolutionary project”
Turkish Basketball Federation President Hidayet Türkoğlu emphasized that a very important protocol was signed for the future of Turkish basketball.
Underlining that an important project has been implemented to introduce young people to basketball and strengthen the foundations of sports, Türkoğlu said the following: “We will open the Basketball Development Center on September 29th with the participation of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We will train athletes and provide management and financial resources to our clubs all around Turkey with the facilities of this facility. Today, we will sign the protocol for the Istanbul TBF Basketball Sports High School. The foundation of a revolutionary project… I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this project, our Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, and our Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak. Istanbul TBF Basketball Sports High School demonstrates our vision of ‘Basketball is not a sport, but also education and character development.’ This school will serve 1200 students with its modern equipment on a 200 square meter area. On this occasion, I would like to say congratulations to Istanbul TBF Basketball Sports High School.”
Following the speeches, the protocol was signed. Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak and President of the Turkish Basketball Federation Hidayet Türkoğlu posed for the press with the signed protocol.
