During the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic, Social Studies teacher Mustafa Öznay spoke at the ceremony held at the school and touched the audience.
“Teacher Mustafa Öznay's speech, in which he said, ”The Republic is your parents going to vote together and girls raising their fingers in class!" received tens of thousands of likes on social media.
It's hard not to be moved...
Health to your mouth and heart, teacher.👏
“The republic is a girl who raises her finger to have her say” pic.twitter.com/VeT08Z3RNm
- Teacher TR 🇹🇷 (@TRogretmen) October 28, 2023
Öznay's speech, shared from his social media account, Teacher TR, is as follows:
“If I were to talk about the republic in another country today, I would only talk about a form of government, a form of self-government in which the people elect members of parliament for a certain period of time. But for us, the republic is much more than a form of government. The Republic is the defiance of a nation whose country is occupied from all four sides. The Republic is digging trenches with your hands, knowing that it will be your grave. The Republic is the Turkish woman who carries a 25-kilogram bullet on her back for hours. Republic is believing in the impossible.
Republic means valuing women. The Republic is the saying ‘O heroic Turkish woman, you are not worthy to crawl on the ground, but to rise to the skies on shoulders’. The Republic is the dreams of Şerife Bacı, who was martyred at the age of 21 by freezing to death while carrying bullets from Inebolu to Kastamonu with her 9-month-old baby, for her child. The Republic is your parents being able to go to vote together.
The Republic is the Republic of girls dreaming, the Republic is a female student raising her finger in class.
The Republic sees art as the lifeblood of a nation. It is a museum of painting and sculpture, a faculty of fine arts. The Republic is the City Theater in Istanbul and the State Theater in Ankara.
The Republic is production. The Republic is the new state, which was founded in debt, that opened a printing factory in Nazilli, a sugar factory in Uşak, a Şişecam factory in Beykoz and Paşabahçe, and an airplane factory in Kayseri.
The Republic is to see the fight against ignorance as important as the fight against the enemy. Neşe Ayten, a 21-year-old teacher who was martyred in her home in a village whose name she heard for the first time when she was only 25 days old, is a teacher. The Republic is Mustafa Kemal in Tripoli, the Caucasus, Gallipoli, the Balkans, Afyon Kocatepe and the mountains of Izmir.
The Republic is the bright path he paved, the Republic is virtue. Republic is virtue, honor, pride. The Republic is being born in this land owing a debt to them and carrying this responsibility on your back every time and acting with the awareness that the one who loves his homeland the most is the one who does his duty the best.
For us, the Republic is much more than a form of government. And October 29th is not a holiday.
In his words, ‘It is the greatest holiday’. On this occasion, we commemorate Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, his comrades in arms and all the heroes who gave us the right to breathe freely under this sacred flag and gave their breath for this cause; with respect and mercy, may they rest in peace.”