The signing ceremony, held at the Ministry of National Education Meeting Hall, saw the participation of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu, President of the Cyprus Turkish Businesswomen Association (GİKAD) Dr. İçim Çağıner Kavuklu, and Director of the International Final University Environmental Research Center Prof. Dr. Şerife Gündüz.

According to a statement from the Ministry of National Education Press Office, the protocol aims to raise students’ awareness of natural, historical, and cultural values and to implement educational activities and projects for the protection of cultural heritage, in line with the theme of “Natural and Cultural Heritage” determined within the scope of the “Green Schools Program” for the 2025-2026 academic year.

-Gündüz

Director of the International Final University Environmental Research Center Prof. Dr. Şerife Gündüz stated in her speech at the signing ceremony that the Green Schools Project started in 2022 with 25 schools and is currently continuing in over 100 schools.

“These schools will serve as a bridge connecting the past to the future in the Green Schools Project,” said Gündüz, thanking GİKAD and the ministries for their support.

-Kavuklu

President of the Cyprus Turkish Businesswomen Association (GİKAD) Dr. İçim Çağıner Kavuklu emphasized that the Green Schools Project is one of the most important parts of the green transformation.

Stating that they set out to convey that nature is not only an inheritance but also a trust for future generations, Kavuklu stated that the project progresses on four pillars with the cooperation of the public, science, private sector, and civil society.

Kavuklu stated that the Green Schools Project is also an exemplary project for the Republic of Turkey, and that the project has been taken as an example in Istanbul, Adana, and Elazığ after Gaziantep. Kavuklu also mentioned that the green transformation will be initiated in Turkish schools in London this year.

Kavuklu stated that they have made significant progress in four years thanks to the Minister of National Education’s belief in the project, and pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism will also be involved in the project this year, thanking both ministries and the International Final University.

-Çavuşoğlu

Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu began his speech by thanking GİKAD President Kavuklu, Director of the International Final University Environmental Research Center Gündüz, and those who supported the project.

Emphasizing that the most accurate starting point for green transformation in the country is schools, Çavuşoğlu said, “This journey we started together is expanding every day. We are reaching a better point in terms of raising social awareness and protecting the environment every day.”

Stating that some lost values need to be re-established in order to pass on this beautiful island to future generations in a healthy way, Çavuşoğlu stated that the Green Schools Project is a beneficial initiative for the country in this sense.

Stating that the effects of the project have exceeded the country’s borders, Çavuşoğlu said that many schools in England and Turkey have also started implementing the project’s practices.

Çavuşoğlu stated that the project has also pioneered the process of teaching environmental awareness as a course in schools, which contributes to creating sustainable environmental awareness among students.

Çavuşoğlu said that not only the Ministry of National Education but also the Ministry of Tourism, GİKAD, and the university contribute to the project, which is the most beautiful picture of what can be achieved when the country is taken care of together.

Çavuşoğlu thanked everyone who contributed to the implementation of the project and wished it success.

-Ataoğlu

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Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu also emphasized the importance of environmental education that children receive at a young age being carried into the future.

Ataoğlu considered the signed protocol as an important step in ensuring that children learn about culture, natural beauties, and historical riches within the educational process and carry the information they obtain forward.

Ataoğlu expressed his hope that the protocol would set an example for other projects and stated that the ministry will continue to support such studies.