Turkey celebrated Republic Day on 29 October with numerous ceremonies across the country, some of them spectacular and others more modest; this was the case in a small village in the Anatolian province of Konya, in the centre of the country, where the only girl at the village school also took part, alongside her teacher, in a ceremony to mark the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic.
Belekler is a small village in the district of Ilgın, situated some 65 km from the city of Konya, the capital of this province in central Türkiye. There, the small Şehit Hüseyin Topçu Primary School continues to hold lessons despite having just one pupil and one teacher.
The sharp decline in the village’s population – which today has barely 300 inhabitants after years of heavy emigration – has gradually reduced the number of pupils until, this year, only one girl – aged around 9 – remains.
Despite this curious situation, teacher Fatih Yalçınkaya and Hatice Gökmen, a Year 3 primary school pupil, did not hesitate to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the Republic alongside the rest of the country’s schools and educational institutions with a ceremony at the school, attended by the girl’s family, several villagers and some local officials, including a representative from the local gendarmerie and the muhtar (elected village head), as reported by the Turkish news agency DHA.
“When Atatürk proclaimed the Republic, he envisaged you and me”
“There is tremendous enthusiasm in the large squares across our country, just as there is in the schools where thousands of pupils have gathered. But I want you to know that this national holiday we are celebrating together in our little school has far greater significance; it is far more special than the excitement felt in those large squares. When Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk proclaimed the Republic, he envisaged precisely this day: you and me,” the teacher declared during the modest ceremony.
“When Atatürk said: ‘The Republic is, above all, the protector of the defenceless’, he was referring to the right to education and a bright future for all children, even in the remotest corner of the country. That is precisely what the Republic is. Today you may be the only pupil at this school, but never forget that you are not simply a pupil in this country: you are the Republic itself. Today there may be just the two of us here, but behind us lie the history, love and strength of an entire nation. With the light of education that we have kindled in this school, we shall keep the values of our Republic alive forever,” he continued in his speech.
Hatice, who read a poem she’d been preparing for this day during the small ceremony, later explained to the media when talking about her situation that, although she initially felt lonely as the only pupil, her teacher has also become her friend.
“I spend time with my teacher as if he was a friend. We play together. Last year I had a friend, but she moved on to secondary school and I was left on my own. It’s sad not to have any friends at school, but it’s nice to have my teacher. He’s both my friend and my teacher. We spent three days preparing for the ceremony. I was a bit nervous, but then I got over it. I want to thank my family and the neighbours for not leaving me on my own today,” said the girl.
“Even though my daughter is the only pupil, we have a teacher”
Melek Gökmen, the girl’s mother, expressed her joy that her daughter still has a teacher and is receiving lessons despite being the only pupil at the school: “May God protect our State. Even though my daughter is the only pupil, we have a teacher. We’re happy. Her teacher takes care of everything. We’ve also attended the Republic Day celebrations together. We worked together whilst she learnt the poem she was going to recite by heart. We felt very happy,” said the mother.
For his part, Süreyya Gökmen, Hatice’s grandfather, also wanted to thank the government for assigning a teacher to the school so that the little girl can receive the education she needs: “Hatice is the only pupil at this school. May God protect our State. Even though she is the only pupil, they have provided her with a teacher. I take Hatice to school every day. At first she felt lonely because she was the only pupil, but then she got used to it. We love our teacher very much; he looks after us. Today we celebrated Republic Day and had a wonderful day,” he said.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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