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Coordinated by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education, the 2nd Istanbul Educational Research Congress, which brought together leading figures in the world of education, was held on January 10-11, 2026, at the Aşık Paşa Conference Hall of Istanbul Medeniyet University.

The congress, held under the theme "Teachers' Professional Development: Continuous Learning and Innovative Practices," was attended by our Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin Çelik, Deputy Governor Mustafa Asım Alkan, President of the National Education Academy Prof. Dr. Ali Fuat Arıcı, Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür, Ibn Haldun University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Özcan Erkan Akgün, our Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Yaşar Bülbül, Prof. Dr. Fatih Sarıoğlu, and Prof. Dr. Nuriye Akbay, Dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences Prof. Dr. Eyüp Sevimli, and numerous academics and educators.

Following the welcoming speech by the Congress General Coordinator Dr. Muhammed Çelik, who provided information about the congress, Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür expressed his gratitude to our University and our Rector for hosting the Congress in his opening speech. "Teaching is the name of a profession where learning never ends. Therefore, our teachers are the greatest students." Emphasizing that teaching is a field of responsibility based on continuous learning and renewal, Yentür likened the conference, which was rich in theory and academic literature, to a laboratory environment, stating that the outputs obtained here would have a transformative effect when applied in the field.

Speaking at the opening of the Congress, our Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin Çelik began by expressing his happiness at hosting such an important project. Comparing the social structure to grains of sand on a beach, Prof. Dr. Çelik stated that just as the tiny void created by a shifting grain of sand is filled by billions of grains of sand in a massive circulation, elements in social life are also sensitive to such changes, and education is one of these essential elements in the social system. He stated that in the environment of circulation created by important transformations such as globalization and the emergence of artificial intelligence in the recent period, the continuity dimension of the teaching profession has become even more visible. Çelik stated that as a university, they have conducted comprehensive work to position the Turkey Century Education Model within the university's holistic mechanism, encompassing all academic units, primarily our Faculty of Education Sciences. He noted that they will share the results of this work with the public soon. Drawing attention to the fundamental mission of education, Çelik concluded his remarks by expressing his hope that the conference would be beneficial, stating, "I believe that  the mission of raising our young people to be knowledgeable as well as virtuous individuals should not be neglected."  

Throughout the two-day congress, participants were offered a rich academic platform with two conferences, two special sessions, four workshops, and 84 paper presentations.

Speaking at the closing of the congress, Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür emphasized that the aim of the Turkey Century Education Model is to raise our children to use their knowledge for the benefit of all humanity in the triad of virtue, values, and action. In his closing speech, our Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin Çelik highlighted the guiding nature of the Education Model and stated that, as a university, we will strive to do our part to ensure that the model is implemented in a way that appeals to all students in terms of activities, applications, projects, and socialization.

The closing program of the congress ended with the presentation of the best paper awards to the authors of the top three papers with the highest scores.