Member of a specialized commission at the 20th National Education Council, Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı stated during his speech to the press that National Education Council meetings are an old tradition.

Reminding that Mustafa Necatibey and Hasan Ali Yücel are the two former Ministers of National Education of the Republic of Turkey, Prof. Ortaylı stated that periods they served were not actually just the opposite of each other.

He stated that these two periods were the times when teachers were respected most and got the best education and previous national education councils took many important decisions about education.

"We believe that 20th National Education Council is very important. It is because there are some problems and they must be solved in some way. It is a social and national matter and it concerns all people... First of all, there is the preschool issue... Turkey is industrialized, the number of working population has increased and now both parents are going to work. It is not only valid in big cities; this has spread to the entire country. It is not right to let children carry the burden of a growing industry and business life. Children should learn their mother language at a very young age," he said.

Stressing that there is no point in opposing private schools but the Ministry should make a regulation about these schools, Ortaylı added that the state must increase schooling rate.

Ortaylı mentioned the importance of libraries, labs, theater halls and gym classes and went on to say: "Unfortunately, literacy education witnesses changes in Turkey. Previous generations learned how to do handwriting but new generations did not learn this. Once, there were Latin language classes at the Çamlıca High School which were very successful. Expertise in education is a must. Social sciences high schools must be revised. These are the common issues of Turkey."